Public perceptions of state police: An analysis of individual-level and contextual variables

Research focusing on citizens' perceptions of police has been widespread at the local level; however, little attention has been devoted to state policing organizations. This focus is particularly interesting considering the enhanced role state police agencies have assumed in recent years. This study analyzes categorical and ordered categorical attitudinal data collected from a statewide sample in the State of Washington. Among the findings reported are significant gender differences and the observation that the number of citations an individual has received affects his or her perceptions of state police.