Date
1-16-2025
Department
Helms School of Government
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (PhD)
Chair
Timothy Seguin
Keywords
citizen complaints, cooperation, compliance, education, legitimacy, procedural justice, quantitative analysis
Disciplines
Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Swenszkowski, Robert S., "Citizen Complaints Against Police and Police Education Level: A Quantitative Analysis" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6458.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6458
Abstract
Complaints against police officers result from citizens expressing dissatisfaction with police officers’ conduct, which is perceived as unjust. Citizen dissatisfaction with police services or the imposition of authority can lead to the belief that such authority is illegitimate and unjust, which can decrease levels of confidence and cooperation from citizens. Questions have long existed about the need for individuals to have some level of higher education to be employed as police officers. Yet, a consistent standardization for the minimum educational requirements for police officers in the United States has not been embraced. Research and theory suggest that higher education yields various positive outcomes regarding police-community relations. The following quantitative analysis shows a significant relationship between the rates of citizen complaints against police and the education levels of police officers. The study’s statistical tests show that police officer’s education levels account for two to eleven percent of the influence over rates of citizen complaints. Furthermore, the study reveals that police officers with high school GED education levels yield the highest rates of complaints, whereas police officers with associate degrees yield the lowest rates of complaints. Police officers with bachelor’s degrees received complaints at higher rates than those with associate degrees, and their complaint rates decreased over time.
