Community Satisfaction With Policing on Guam

• Published date: 01 August 2022
• Date: 01 August 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10439862221096955
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862221096955

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2022, Vol. 38(3) 311 –329

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/10439862221096955

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Article

Community Satisfaction

With Policing on Guam

Loene M. Howes1, Danielle Watson2,

Vanessa Ryan2, John J. Rivera3,

and Ronald L. McNinch-Su3

Abstract

Guam is a Pacific Island in Micronesia with a complex colonial history. Strategically

located, Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States and critical

military asset. Policing on Guam is influenced by external stakeholders and budgetary

limitations. Recently, a community policing model was introduced to better meet

community needs and expectations. This study explored the relevance of predictors

of satisfaction with police service provision in the Guamanian context. Residents of

Guam (n = 701) participated in a survey that included demographic characteristics,

community context, and police–citizen interactions. Satisfaction with police service

provision was predicted by age and perceptions of procedural justice, police

performance, and police legitimacy. Higher income predicted lower satisfaction.

The findings highlight the importance of police legitimacy and related constructs for

satisfaction with police service provision on Guam. Initiatives that focus on police

performance and procedural justice may help improve satisfaction with police service

provision on Guam.

Keywords

Guam, policing, satisfaction, community policing, procedural justice

1University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

2Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

3University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam

Corresponding Author:

Loene M. Howes, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 22, Hobart, Tasmania

7001, Australia.

Email: Loene.Howes@utas.edu.au

1096955CCJXXX10.1177/10439862221096955Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticeHowes et al.

research-article2022

312 Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 38(3)

Introduction

Policing in Pacific Islands is subject to complex challenges, such as the legacy of

colonial histories, limited budgets, and misalignment of donor objectives with local

needs. However, the manifestation of such challenges in specific contexts is unique.

Across the Pacific, various arrangements shape police training, budgets, and service

provision. Community members may acknowledge resource limitations, but neverthe-

less expect a high standard of service delivery (see, for example, Howes et al., 2021).

Gaps between expected and actual service can impact negatively on community satis-

faction with police service provision. One approach that has the potential to improve

community satisfaction is community policing (Gill et al., 2014) because it is charac-

terized by collaboration and partnerships with other agencies and the community more

broadly (Gill et al., 2014). It focuses on community engagement strategies, organiza-

tional transformation, and problem solving (Office of Community Oriented Policing

Services, 2014). It is associated with greater perceived police legitimacy (Gill et al.,

2014).

The present paper reflects a growing body of research that considers community

satisfaction with police service provision in the global south, including in Pacific

Islands contexts (see, for example, Watson et al., 2021). As a Pacific Island territory

with a complex colonial history, culturally and ethnically diverse populations, and

strategic U.S. military value, Guam presents an interesting site for a case study. The

Guam Police Department (GPD) recently introduced a community policing model,

incorporating a range of initiatives designed to build police–community relationships

(Pang, 2016). This paper first gives a brief overview of research on community satis-

faction with police service provision before discussing the Guamanian context and

considering the specificities of policing on Guam. It then outlines the methodology

and findings from a survey of community satisfaction with policing on Guam. The

paper concludes by discussing the implications of findings and suggests promising

avenues for further development within the community policing paradigm, given the

challenges of police reform in Pacific Island contexts.

Community Satisfaction With Policing

Although community policing has been implemented differently in different contexts

(Fleming, 2010), consultation is a hallmark of the approach and one way to foster posi-

tive police–community relationships. Research on satisfaction with police service pro-

vision is consistent with a community policing paradigm because it seeks community

consultation to identify issues.

A broad range of variables has been found to predict satisfaction with policing. In

a recent meta-analysis of research on community satisfaction with police service pro-

vision, Bolger et al. (2021) grouped predictors as demographic characteristics, police–

citizen encounters, and neighborhood or community context. Regarding demographic

characteristics, older people, those in the majority ethnic group/s, and women tended

to be more satisfied with police service provision, although previous studies included