Police work and the police profession: Assessing attitudes of city officials, Spanish-speaking Hispanics, and their English-speaking counterparts

This exploratory study examined attitudes toward police work and the police profession among Whites, Blacks, English-speaking Hispanics, and Spanish-speaking Hispanics. A sample of 581 residents and 18 city officials in Midland and Odessa, Texas were randomly interviewed by telephone. Among the significant findings are the observations that: (1) compared to English-speaking Hispanics, Spanish-speaking Hispanics and Whites are more likely to cooperate with the police; (2) Spanish-speaking Hispanics are significantly more likely (compared to Whites and English-speaking Hispanics) to agree with the concept of a house visit by a police officer and of a racially and ethnically diverse police department; and (3) Spanish-speaking Hispanics feel more comfortable talking with an officer who has the same ethnic background, express a greater desire to become police officers compared to Whites and Blacks, and more likely believe that excessive use of force by the police exists in their neighborhood compared to Whites. The article also presents a summary of the methodology and the findings regarding the impact of demographic measures on attitudes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.