Military experience among police officers: an examination of veterans' attitudes toward the community

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to determine whether prior military service impacts police officers' job-related attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was administered to sworn police officers in a large urban department.

Findings

Findings indicate that military service has almost no impact on police officers' perceptions of danger in the community and suspicion toward citizens. The small effect that did surface suggests that military veterans perceive less danger in the occupational environment.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the scant existing research on whether and how military service may impact police officers' attitudes; in particular, it speaks to the concern that veterans bring a warrior mentality to the job. Findings suggest that these fears are not founded.

Practical implications

Police agencies commonly give preferential hiring to military veterans. Current findings suggest that this practice does not threaten police–community relations.

Originality/value

Scant research has examined the impact of military experience on police officers' job-related attitudes and specifically on their perceptions of danger and their suspicion of citizens. Additionally, when military service is included in police studies, it is operationalized as a binary yes/no. Here, the authors parse service into different components for a more nuanced examination.

Citation

Gau, J.M., Brooke, E.J., Paoline III, E.A. and Roman, K.L. (2021), "Military experience among police officers: an examination of veterans' attitudes toward the community", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 44 No. 6, pp. 1060-1076. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-05-2021-0070