Cultivation theory: The impact of crime media's portrayal of race on the desire to become a U.S. police officer

Wendi Pollock; Natalia D Tapia; Deborah Sibila

doi:10.1177/14613557211036555

journal article Aug 06, 2021

Cultivation theory: The impact of crime media's portrayal of race on the desire to become a U.S. police officer

Wendi Pollock

Natalia D Tapia Deborah Sibila

International Journal of Police Science & Management Vol. 24 No. 1 pp. 42-52 · SAGE Publications

View at Publisher Save 10.1177/14613557211036555

Abstract

The death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 again left people asking why U.S. police officers so commonly resort to the use of deadly force when interacting with Black individuals. The current article proposes that media, combined with cultivation theory and social cognition concepts may create implicit biases that are potential contributors to this problem. Police officers have a greater vulnerability to these biases because intake of crime-related media positively predicts their interest in selecting law enforcement as a career. Other predictors of an interest in working in law enforcement, and implications of these findings, are discussed.

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Details

Published: Aug 06, 2021
Vol/Issue: 24(1)
Pages: 42-52
License: View

Authors

W

Wendi Pollock

Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, USA

N

Natalia D Tapia

Lewis University, USA

D

Deborah Sibila

Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, USA

Cite This Article

Wendi Pollock, Natalia D Tapia, Deborah Sibila (2021). Cultivation theory: The impact of crime media's portrayal of race on the desire to become a U.S. police officer. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 24(1), 42-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/14613557211036555

Cultivation theory: The impact of crime media's portrayal of race on the desire to become a U.S. police officer

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