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17 Criminology & Pub. Pol'y 829 (2018)
Examining the Impact of the Freddie Gray Unrest on Perceptions of the Police

handle is hein.journals/crpp17 and id is 831 raw text is: RESEARCH ARTICLE FREDDIE GRAY UNREST Examining the Impact of the Freddie Gray Unrest on Perceptions of the Police Clair White University of Wyoming David Weisburd Sean Wire George Mason University Research Summary Taking advantage of a large residential survey that was ongoing in Baltimore, Mary- land, during the riots surrounding the death ofFreddie Gray in 2015, in this study, we examined changes in attitudes ofproceduraljustice and police legitimacy before and after the events occurred. We found little change in measures of obligation to obey the law, trustworthiness of the police, andproceduraljustice among residents ofBaltimore. Policy Implications Thepolice arefacinga challengingperiodofturmoiland reform as incidents ofpolice use offorce against minorities continue to draw national attention. Our findings suggest, however, that these macro-level events may have little immediate impact on views ofpolice legitimacy and procedural justice, as contrasted with longer term historical relationships between the police and the public. We argue that more research is needed to understand broader societal factors that shape people's perceptions of the police as law enforcement and policy makers search for policies and programs to build trust with minority communities. Keywords crisis of police legitimacy, procedural justice, attitudes of police, Baltimore, Freddie Gray This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grant number 5R01 DA032639-03, 2012). Direct correspondence to Clair White, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82070 (e-mail: cwhite4l @uwyo.edu). DOI: 10.1111/1745-9133.12404 © 2018 American Society of Criminology 829 Criminology &Public Policy • Volume 17 ° Issue 4