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AbstractSpeed is a well-documented predictor of traffic collisions. The present research evaluates the effects of saturation enforcement by police on speed(ing) along a highway corridor in Western Canada. As part of the field study, six radar-recording devices were installed at three different locations along the intervention site (i.e., before, at, and after enforcement). During the pre-test period, vehicle speeds were passively recorded without any saturation enforcement. During the enforcement period, uniformed police officers in marked police vehicles conducted saturation enforcement at the enforcement site while vehicle speeds continued to be recorded. The analyses revealed that the average speed of vehicles was lower during the enforcement period than the pre-test period as well as lower at the enforcement site than before or after such site. The analyses also revealed a similar pattern in findings when the proportion of speeding vehicles was used as the dependent variable. Saturation enforcement by police can thus exhibit at least some effect on speed(ing) along a highway corridor. Given contemporary policing’s emphasis on road safety, this research contributes to both scholarly and practical discussions regarding police and their effectiveness.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for contemporary police. The present research examines public assessments of police responsibility and performance during the pandemic using a procedural justice paradigm. Design/methodology/approach: Participants (N= 104) rated images of a police officer, including when using different items of personal protective equipment (PPE), along the core dimensions of procedural justice. Participants then completed survey questions about their assessments of the police’s responsibility and performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Findings from our regression analyses indicate that participants’ perceptions of procedural justice are positively related to their assessments of police responsibility and performance. Our findings also indicate that participants’ perceptions of procedural justice can be affected by the police’s use of different items of PPE, including face masks, face shields, goggles and medical gloves. Originality/value: The present research uses procedural justice, a well-trodden paradigm from past empirical works, to examine perceptions of police amidst a time of much societal change. The findings present important practical implications for police who must continue to manage public perceptions while providing service during the pandemic.

Police spokespersons exist at the core of organizational representation: they are selected to represent their agencies at all levels of engagement on all public platforms. Given their repeated exposure via traditional and electronic media, perceptions of spokesperson characteristics may impact perceptions of police and police organizations more broadly. Using online search queries of publicly available sources, we collected data for 612 spokespersons from 514 municipal police agencies across the United States. Our analyses reveal that spokespersons are overwhelmingly sworn, White men who are middle-aged and mid-rank. Our analyses also reveal some bivariate relationships between spokesperson characteristics (e.g., gender and employment status) and some variation among characteristics across states (e.g., Texas versus Ohio). By identifying and describing spokesperson characteristics at both national and state levels, we extend historical research regarding police spokespersons, contribute to the scholarly understanding of police representation practices, and theorize the relationships between spokespersons, organizations, and contemporary policing issues.