Perceptions of Civilian Review: Exploring the Differences in Reviewed and Non-Reviewed Officers

• Author: Melchor C. de Guzman
• Published date: 01 June 2008
• Date: 01 June 2008
• DOI: 10.3818/JRP.10.1.2008.61
• Subject Matter: Article

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Perceptions of Civilian Review:

  Exploring the Differences in Reviewed and

 Non-Reviewed ofFIcers

Melchor C. de Guzman

The College at Brockport, State University of New York

* Abstract

Off‌icers of the Philippine National Police were surveyed to examine whether their ex-

periences with the civilian review board, the People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB),

inf‌luence their perceptions about the board’s integrity and legitimacy. This study ex-

amined two groups: off‌icers who had cases processed by the board (reviewed group)

and off‌icers who had never had complaints heard against them before the board (non-

reviewed group). In addition, the satisfaction of both groups with the process as well

as their overall satisfaction were examined. The f‌indings support the contention that

the experience of being reviewed may shape or alter off‌icers’ perceptions about civilian

review. In addition, there may be a tendency for police off‌icers to mistrust a completely

civilian review, but it appears that such mistrust may be overcome by the board’s ex-

ercise of fairness, objectivity, and thoroughness in its processes.

JUSTICE RESEARCH AND POLICY, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2008

© 2008 Justice Research and Statistics Association

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Civilian review has long been a contentious issue for the police. Anecdotal and

empirical evidence indicates that the police have animosity toward civilian review

(Brooks, 1973; Brown, 1987; Gellhorn, 1966a; Goldsmith, 1991; Kerstetter, 1985a;

Lenzi, 1974; Loveday, 1988; Russell 1976; Wagner & Decker, 1993). However,

most research that focuses on police perceptions of civilian review has two short-

comings. First, many studies document the solidarity among police off‌icers (Bayley,

1985; Caiden & Hahn, 1979; Landau, 1994; Powers, 1994; Reiss, 1976; Reiss &

Bordua, 1967), and researchers tend to assume that police off‌icers have collective

sentiments against civilian review. Second, most researchers deemphasize the inf‌lu-

ence of experience on one’s perceptions about things or institutions.

Some researchers have questioned the assumptions about police solidarity,

claiming that police off‌icers in the department are made up of different factions

and are not always unif‌ied in their opinions (Paoline, 2001; Reuss-Ianni, 1983;

Van Maanen, 1993). Similarly, several studies have demonstrated that off‌icers’

experiences with the civilian review system reshaped their perceptions about the

review board. (Halpern, 1974; Knoohuizen, 1973; Kerstetter, 1985b; Lewis, 2000;

Loveday, 1988; Perez, 1978).

Regardless of whether assumptions about police solidarity are valid, most re-

search on civilian review has been overly simplistic, using simple dichotomies such

as trusting-not trusting or like-dislike and being concerned only with the overall

impressions of clients. Such an analytical approach may be inadequate for assess-

ing police off‌icers’ perceptions about review boards, in that the different processes

and characteristics of a civilian review may elicit variations in off‌icers’ perceptions

that may not be manifested through the use of dichotomized measures (Barton,

1970; Kahn, 1973; Kerstetter, 1985b; Halpern, 1974; Loveday, 1988). Likewise,

both global and specif‌ic assessments of police off‌icers’ perceptions about the board

should be involved in such an analysis.

This study of off‌icers’ perceptions of civilian review attempts to overcome

some of the shortcomings discussed above. Off‌icers of the Philippine National

Police (PNP) were surveyed to examine whether the varying experiences of po-

lice off‌icers with the civilian review board, the People’s Law Enforcement Board

(PLEB), inf‌luence their perceptions about the board’s integrity and legitimacy in

the review process. In addition, the satisfaction of both reviewed and non-reviewed

off‌icers with the process as well as their overall satisfaction were examined.

Several factors make this undertaking important. First, the study tests the uni-

versally accepted notion that police show solidarity in their opposition to civilian

review and thus further extends the research about policing culture. Second, the

study seeks to identify which aspects of civilian review operations inf‌luence police

satisfaction with the process. Such information will provide insights for f‌ine-tuning

the operations of civilian reviews. It will also provide policy guidance to other ju-

risdictions regarding the important civilian review characteristics that need to be

considered in the establishment of a review board. Lastly, the study presents dis-

tinct perspectives about the operations of civilian review boards in Asia. It thereby