Cooperation with the police: a path analysis of residents in two Arab American-concentrated cities
Policing: An International Journal
ISSN: 1363-951X
Article publication date: 10 January 2023
Issue publication date: 23 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to answer (1) how perceived neighborhood collective efficacy and disorder affect residents' cooperation with the police, both directly and indirectly through perceptions of the police and (2) how Arab American ethnicity moderates the linkages between perceived collective efficacy, disorder and cooperation.
Design/methodology/approach
Relying on survey interview data from a probability sample of 414 residents in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, MI and path model analysis, this study tests an explanatory model of public cooperation with the police that integrates both neighborhood and policing factors.
Findings
Perceived neighborhood disorder undermines residents' desires to cooperate, and this influence is chiefly direct. Meanwhile, although no significant total effect, perception of neighborhood collective efficacy does have a positive effect on cooperation through the mediator of positive assessment of police effectiveness. Further, collective efficacy has a direct, positive effect on cooperation among Arab Americans only. Finally, perceptions of police equal treatment and effectiveness, rather than procedural justice, are significant correlates of public cooperation.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the extremely limited literature on policing and Arab American communities. The findings can deepen the understanding on why and for which groups neighborhood context is related to cooperation with the police. Findings can also add to the knowledge base for designing policies and practices that help secure and promote public support and cooperation in both Arab and non-Arab communities.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The first six authors were arranged on an alphabetical order and contributed equally to the paper.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2051292. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Citation
Camero, B., Cano-Rodriguez, K., Chawota, T., Morgan, K., Potts, A., Solorzano-Franco, M., Klahm IV, C. and Wu, Y. (2023), "Cooperation with the police: a path analysis of residents in two Arab American-concentrated cities", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 46 No. 2, pp. 277-292. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-11-2022-0144
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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