Evaluating the Police - Attitudes, Competency and Credibility (From Police Selection and Training, P 365-373, 1986, John C Yuille, ed. - See NCJ-104142)

• NCJ Number: 104165
• Author(s): D Yarmey
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 9 pages
• Sale Source: Martinus Nijhoff Publishing
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

Results are presented of a number of studies of public and police attitudes toward the police and their credibility as witnesses.

Abstract

A survey of criminal justice personnel, the public, and police officers indicated that police are highly valued by all groups, but not well understood, even by the police themselves. A study of knowledge about factors influencing the accuracy of eyewitness testimony revealed that the influence of such factors as stress, anxiety, or nature of the incident (violent or nonviolent) was not common knowledge among police officers, trial judges, lawyers, or the public. Moreover, criminal justice personnel were not superior to the general public in their accuracy of information related to eyewitness testimony. Finally, while all groups expected police to perform more accurately in suspect identification and in short-term retention of information related to criminal cases, defense attorneys and the public had higher estimates of police deceitfulness in eyewitness testimony than did police or prosecutors. 1 table, 1 figure, and 21 references.