Halo effects and public evaluation of police service

Public opinion of police service provides important guidelines for government leaders and policy practitioners who strive to improve police-community relations and restructure law enforcement agencies. Despite its widespread use, citizen evaluation of police service is bias-prone due to the subjective nature of people’s judgment heuristics. Considering that the impact of police actions on public opinion is not limited to those that police directly deal with, this study examines whether people’s general impression on the police plays a role in how they rate smaller traits of police. To this end, the present study revisits Elinor Ostrom and her colleagues’ Police Services Study conducted in Rochester, St. Louis, and Tampa-St. Petersburg. Findings show that citizens’ overall perception on police service creates a halo, which positively influences their subsequent appraisals of police courtesy, equal treatment, and honesty, respectively. This study ultimately underscores the nuanced understanding of police service information reported from citizen surveys.