How Gender Affects Officer Support for Police Militarization

Why do police officers support police militarization despite the dangers it entails for themselves and the community they protect? We argue officer social identity helps explain part of this puzzle, particularly gender identity. Individuals who wish to signal their masculinity engage in actions that involve (the threat of) violence. One way to confirm their willingness to do so is to support the acquisition of military gear and weapons as tools of violence. Thus, we theorize a mediating relationship that describes why male officers would support police militarization—to signal masculinity in the face of gender threats. We use causal mediation analysis to examine survey data collected from officers in a large US police department. Results demonstrate that officers' gender attitudes influence their support for militarizing their department, despite the inherent risks involved, and perhaps because of the inherent risks involved. Related Articles Welch, Ryan M., Jack Mewhirter, James E. Wright, and Jeongmin Oh. 2023. “Evaluating the Determinants of Support for Police Militarization among Officers.” Politics & Policy 51(4): 636‐660. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12549 . Wolff, Michael Jerome. 2019. “Sharing Authority: The Politics and Practice of Community Policing in the Brazilian Slum.” Politics & Policy 47(4): 748‐774. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12322 . Spalek, Basia. 2010. “Community Policing, Trust, and Muslim Communities in Relation to New Terrorism.” Politics & Policy 38(4): 789‐815. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2010.00258.x .