Journal of Psychology & Behavioral Science

Perceptions of Police Scale (POPS): Measuring Attitudes towards Law Enforcement and Beliefs about Police Bias
Kevin L. Nadal, Kristin C. Davidoff

Abstract
The current study provides data supporting the Perceptions of Police Scale (POPS), an instrument designed to measure perceptions of police and police bias. Three hundred and twenty-six participants completed a demographics questionnaire, the POPS, and POPS Evaluation. The Perceptions of Police Scale (POPS) included twelve statements that measure an individual’s attitudes toward police. The POPS Evaluation asked participants for feedback on the content and clarity of the questions. In Study 1, an exploratory principal components analysis (N = 162) revealed two factors: (1) General Attitudes toward Police, and (2) Perceptions of Bias, explaining 64.95% of the variance. The POPS produced a Cronbach’s alpha of .92 overall, and .91 for Subscale 1 and .87 for Subscale 2. Study 2 utilized a confirmatory factor analysis (N = 162) to verify the two subscales. The two-factor solution accounted for 70.44% of the variance, supporting the results of Study 1. The POPS overall resulted in a Cronbach’s alpha of .94, with .93 for Subscale 1 and .88 for Subscale 2.Using the POPS, future researchers can assess community perceptions of the police succinctly, particularly examining views of individuals from historically marginalized groups and impacts of police interaction on psychological processes and mental health outcomes.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpbs.v3n2a1