| dc.description.abstract | Police surveillance technologies have become increasingly prevalent in contemporary Western society, raising public concerns about privacy and the illegitimate police use of such surveillance. Still, there is little existing research concerning individual perceptions of the institution of mass police surveillance (i.e., the police surveillance state), and even less exploring the impact of violent crime victimization and police legitimacy on support for/opposition toward the police surveillance state, respectively. Using national public survey data, I employ Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine how crime victimization and other sociodemographic characteristics influence perceptions of the police surveillance state, and to investigate if these relationships are predicated upon the mediative impact of police legitimacy. I find that experiencing violent crime victimization negatively shapes attitudes toward the police surveillance state overall, as compared to those having never experienced such victimization; however, when violent crime victimization influences understandings of the police as more legitimate, they subsequently support the police surveillance state at an increasing rate as compared to non-victims. This study highlights the significance of victimization experiences amidst a growing body of literature on public perceptions of the police and policing surveillance. The present research thus implicates the importance of amplifying diverse and vulnerable voices in discussions of equitable policing practices, and ultimately shaping governmental/departmental policies and regulating efficacious police-community relations. | en_US |
