A longitudinal analysis of citizens' attitudes about police

Purpose Prior research has established the importance of citizens' perceptions of procedural justice in determining their assessments of and satisfaction with police. The present study seeks to contribute to this literature in three ways. First, it aims to test for a link between perceived procedural justice and performance‐based assessments of police officers' ability to control serious crime. Second, it aims to test this link using longitudinal data and controls for existing attitudes to ensure directional validity of the results. Finally, it aims to advance the literature by extending the study of personal experiences and process‐based judgments to non‐urban areas. Design/methodology/approach The data were gathered using a panel design consisting of two surveys administered three years apart. The data are analyzed using ordinary least squares regression. Findings The results support the hypothesis that citizens' perceived procedural justice during their personal contact with officers significantly predicts their evaluations of the ability of police to keep their communities safe from serious violence. The fact that the data are longitudinal and that existing attitudes about effectiveness were controlled for offers support for the contention that the quality of citizens' personal contact with officers can influence their judgments about police effectiveness. Practical implications The findings have implications for procedural justice in policing and for community‐based policing strategies. It would appear that officers' respectfulness toward citizens during personal contacts can enhance their outcome‐based efficacy in citizens' eyes. Police officers' interpersonal interactions with citizens can foster trust and make citizens feel that the police can keep them safe. Originality/value The study is one of few that employ longitudinal data to test the experience‐attitude relationship. The results indicate that the relationship often found in cross‐sectional data also holds over time. In addition, the data come from a relatively rural area of the country, and the findings show that the link between personal contact with and attitudes about police – a link previously demonstrated primarily among urban samples of respondents – applies to non‐urban areas as well.