POLICE SKEPTICISM OF CITIZEN OVERSIGHT: OFFICERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS, PROCESSES, AND OUTCOMES

Involving citizens in procedures aimed at holding police officers and agencies accountable for their conduct represents a prominent innovation in policing. Citizen oversight bodies in the United States currently number over 100, a substantial increase from the 13 that existed in 1980. An important obstacle to the creation and effective implementation of these external oversight mechanisms is opposition from police. This paper examines officers' perceptions of specific aspects of citizen oversight in one Illinois city that recently created such a mechanism. Results show that officers are less supportive of aspects of citizen oversight that offer greater degrees of independence; there is not a consensus of opposition to some oversight features, and officers are less opposed to some functions that have the potential to bring about meaningful change to police policies.