SAGE Journal Articles

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Journal Article 1: Angelis, J. D. (2016). What do citizens think about police accountability measures? Lessons from community attitudinal surveys. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 27(5), 520–536.

Abstract: A growing body of survey research has consistently demonstrated variation among different racial and ethnic groups in terms of their attitudes toward the police. Partly as a result of dissatisfaction among marginalized community groups, municipalities in the United States have increasingly sought to implement new police accountability and reform measures, often with the explicit goal of rehabilitating public perceptions of both the police and municipal government. This article uses logistic regression and multi-year community-level survey data from one Western U.S. city (N = 3,891) to examine the predictors of satisfaction with that city’s police accountability framework. More specifically, the article attempts to disentangle the distinct effects of race/ethnicity, community context, and contact with the police on public satisfaction with that city’s efforts to manage the conduct of police officers. The article also considers the potential policy implications of using community-level surveys to inform the work of police accountability agencies.

Journal Article 2: Arrigo, B. A., & Claussen, N. (2003). Police corruption and psychological testing: A strategy for preemployment screening. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 47(3), 272–290.

Abstract: The prediction, control, and prevention of police corruption represent pervasive and enduring problems. Researchers have suggested that intervention at the preemployment screening stage may be the best solution. However, investigators have acknowledged that existing assessment practices are flawed. This article proposes a strategy for the preemployment screening of law enforcement personnel. In particular, it examines the utility of the Inwald Personality Inventory and the Revised-NEO Personality Inventory in relation to assessing antisocial behavioral tendencies and conscientious personality traits, respectively, and argues that their combined use, appropriately administered in a testing situation, represents a reliable and valid predictor of good job performance. The article speculatively comments on this strategy for purposes of psychological testing, future research in the field, and law enforcement administration practices.