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The answer to problems in policing is better policing, not its abolition. If the move to eliminate policing were successful, “people will hate you.” That was the response of Dr. Paige Vaughn, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina. In this episode, Dr. Vaughn explains that studying the public’s perception of the police is nuanced, but the bottom-line finding is that the public expects the police to be part of most emergency responses, crime or otherwise. Our conversation also moved into aspects of organizational justice and job enrichment. In the long run, efforts to improve policing can benefit the community as well as the officers themselves.

Main Topics

• Understanding the public’s opinion of the police is much more complex than simply slogans about defunding the police.
• Improving policing is preferred over defunding or abolition.
• The mere perception that policing is being diluted or eliminated can threaten their legitimacy, which can lead to an increased perception of crime, increased fear, and even lower police legitimacy.

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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.