#ACAB: A Study of Student Perceptions of Police Behavior and Accountability

Police-community relations have been strained since the inception of policing in the United States. As incidents of misconduct and unjustified uses of force continue to be broadcast across social media platforms, student perceptions of trust and police legitimacy have continued to decrease, heightening negative perceptions of police officers. The dominant explanation for this trend contributes social media as an influencing factor on how community views the police. Previous research also predominately indicates gender as a prominent factor in predicting community perceptions of police. After the untimely deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, and several others, there has been significant studies attempting to inspect police's role within society. With limited research specifically investigating student perceptions, this study attempts to gain insight into student impressions of police behavior and accountability. This quantitative study surveying a convenience sample of 160 college students addresses student's views of police legitimacy by examining their perspectives of police training/authority, feelings of safety, and ability to serve all members of the community. An anonymous survey was distributed as both an online and paper format to recruited students across the United States to determine current student perceptions of police officers. A statistical analysis indicates that student's perceptions of authority and feelings of safety directly contributed to overall confidence in police officers. Students surveyed before the death of George Floyd were found to have a higher confidence in police to adequately do their job. No relationships between social media, gender, or race and subsequent perceived confidence were found to be significant.