At the intersection of authority and personal freedom lies a problem that has proven to be an enduring challenge in policing: the perception of defiance. Driven by power dynamics, biases, policing culture and societal expectations, the perception of defiance poses serious risk to police agencies. And those risks will only increase in the future. By understanding its manifestations and implications, strategies can be developed to mitigate its harmful effects on policing and the trust and confidence people have in the police.

What is the Perception of Defiance?

Perceived defiance refers to the tendency for individuals, especially those in positions of authority, to interpret certain comments, behaviors, attitudes or expressions as direct challenges or threats to their authority. This perception does not have to stem from defiant actions themselves but may instead arise due to biases, stereotypes or mindsets of observers.

Many a parent has perceived their teenager’s question of “Why do I have to do that?” as a clear act of defiance to their parental authority. And many a parent has fallen into the trap of simply responding to the question – even if it’s sincere – with the standard “Because I told you to do it!” This frequently causes the conversation to degrade with less than pleasant outcomes. Similarly, when a motorist stopped by a police officer for a minor traffic violation asks a simple question like “why did you stop me?” or “why do I have to get out of the car?” and it is perceived by the officer as an act of defiance to his/her authority, rather than one simply seeking clarity, the situation can easily degrade – sometimes with tragic consequences.

There are many factors that contribute to the perception by authority figures of defiance by those they believe they have power or legal authority over. Some of these include:

Power Dynamics: Authority figures wield power over others through their position, so when defiance threatens this power they may respond defensively or aggressively, leading to defensive or even violent responses.

Expectation of Compliance: Authority figures often operate with an expectation of unquestioning submission, making it hard for individuals to distinguish between genuine defiance and simply independent thought or behavior.

Culture and Society Factors: Societal norms play an essential role in how we perceive respect and defiance. In some cultures or settings, direct eye contact or speaking out might be viewed as defiance whereas, in others, these actions might be seen as signs of engagement or assertiveness.

Personal bias and personality traits: The mental models, or paradigms, all people carry with them about classes of people, communities or situations can affect how authority figures respond in the face of perceived deviance. Some authority figures allow their biases to drive their behavior while others are aware of them and find ways to control them. In addition, many people in authority are genuinely nice human beings and intuitively treat people with dignity and respect while others do not. Let’s face it, some people are just jerks and when they get into positions of authority they act poorly toward others. Policing is not immune to this phenomenon and this is why emotional intelligence is so important in policing.

Organizational culture: Police officers are taught at a very early stage in their careers to assume control of their interactions with people and not to lose control of them or the situation. And there is good reason for that – with lots of exceptions. In high stress, dangerous and potentially violent situations officers must try and maintain control of events so things don’t escalate. However, in more routine circumstances, when people stopped, detained or otherwise coming into contact with the police allowing people to ask questions, and answering them in an open and respectful way, actually gives authority figures MORE control of the situation. while policing does a good job of instilling the need to control things in police officers, it has a long way to go in terms of understanding people have a legitimate concern about why they’re being stopped, for example, and officers should in most circumstances answer those questions at the outset (of course, there are times when the person simply want to argue and asking “why?” is just part of their argumentative posture).

Why Perceptions of Defiance can be a problem for policing?

When police officers jumped to the conclusion that the person asking why? is being defiant to their requests, rather than simply asking the obvious questions, this leads to a variety of problems for the police. Among them are:

Erosion of Trust: When police officers regularly misinterpret actions as defiant, public trust erodes. Community members may feel they are being unfairly targeted or treated, leading to widespread doubt about police intentions and actions.

Escalation of Situations: Misunderstandings and perceptions of defiance can easily escalate situations to dangerous heights, quickly turning what should have been a simple interaction or inquiry into a confrontational and even violent encounter, endangering officer and civilian safety alike.

Reinforces Biases: Perceived defiance can often be linked with implicit biases. Studies have revealed that people of color - specifically black males - are perceived as more defiant or threatening than their white counterparts, leading to excessive use of force or punitive measures being implemented against them.

Legal and Ethical Concerns: Misinterpreting behavior as defiant may lead to unlawful arrests and uses of force from law enforcement officials, leading to both ethical concerns as well as potential legal ramifications for these agencies.

What can Police Leaders Do to Reduce its Effect?

Fortunately, there are things police leaders can do to reduce the occurrence and impact of the perception of defiance. Among those are:

Understanding and patience as leadership traits: When leaders ask their followers to behave in a certain way they must first exhibit that behavior themselves if they want to avoid being labeled a hypocrite. So, when a subordinate officer asks the leaders “why are we doing it this way?” the manner in which the leader responds has a direct connection to officers’ behaviors in both internal and external settings. If the leader perceives the question as defiance to their authority and acts accordingly, they’ve created an environment with the devastating potential to create distrust within the organization. And you can forget about getting officers to consider changing their behaviors in the face of perceived defiance! Leaders must also demand this openness to questions from their subordinate supervisors in their day-to-day interaction with their officers. When dealing with younger generation officers, understanding and patience in answering important questions, rather than act as if they are being questioned, will serve police leaders well as they strive to create effective, empathetic and just organizations.

Training: Comprehending and challenging their biases are among the primary objectives of training programs for police personnel. Role-playing and scenario-based instruction provide tools that enable officers to de-escalate situations and distinguish between genuine threats and misperceived defiance.

Cultural change: Ensuring that an organization’s corporate culture reflects the fundamental principles of dignity, respect, empathy and justice through a constant emphasis on these characteristics is important in terms of aligning all aspects of officers’ socialization. Ensuring reward systems and accountability measures are in alignment with this understanding of the impact of perceptions of defiance are also important components of a cultural transformation that elevates the collective understanding of this phenomenon.

Community Engagement: Officers can develop deeper insights into local norms and behaviors by building meaningful relationships within the communities they serve through community policing initiatives that foster this engagement.

Accountability Measures: Implementing stringent accountability measures in cases of unnecessary escalation or use of force can deter officers from responding based on mere perceptions of defiance, such as conducting transparent internal reviews and external monitoring.

Mental Health Resources: Providing adequate mental health resources and counseling to officers can be invaluable to reducing job-related stresses, and lessen the chance that defiance arises where there may be none.

Diverse Recruitment and Retention: Employing a diverse police force can offer different perspectives while decreasing cultural misunderstandings or biases that might otherwise arise.

Feedback Mechanisms: Establishing mechanisms for community members to provide their opinions on interactions between police and community members can provide invaluable insight into where improvements need to be made.

Conclusion

Defiance is an innate human trait with lasting consequences when applied to policing. With society evolving and the role of the police being scrutinized more and more closely, police leaders must understand this phenomenon and take proactive measures to lessen its repercussions. Fostering understanding, encouraging accountability, and emphasizing community ties can help transform policing towards an equitable and efficient future.