The Expendables: A Qualitative Study of Police Officers’ Responses to Organizational Injustice

• Author: Brett A. Fitzgerald,Jeremiah Hicks,Paul D. Reynolds
• DOI: 10.1177/1098611117731558
• Date: 01 March 2018
• Published date: 01 March 2018
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

The Expendables:

A Qualitative Study

of Police Officers’

Responses to

Organizational Injustice

Paul D. Reynolds

1

,

Brett A. Fitzgerald

2

,

and Jeremiah Hicks

3

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify events linked to police officers’ assessments

of fairness within their departments, identify how officers’ felt about events they

perceived as unfair, and record officers’ responses to perceived organizational

injustice. This was a qualitative study that applied a phenomenological approach

and information was collected from 24 officers through the use of semistructured

interviews. The predominant organizational events linked to fairness assessments

among participants included disciplinary actions, citizen complaints, blocked career

aspirations, and officer–supervisor conflicts. Overwhelmingly, officers reported these

events made them feel angry. These events fostered feelings of increased skepticism

and not being supported or feeling expendable. Analyses of data revealed two salient

forms of negative work outcomes as responses to perceived organizational injustice:

production deviance and self-protective behaviors. This study expands our

understanding of which events foster negative perceptions of injustice while exposing

how police officers react to those experiences. These findings should be of particular

interest to individuals interested in policing, organizational justice, or organizational

behavior.

1

University of North Texas at Dallas, TX, USA

2

Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK, USA

3

South Texas College, McAllen, TX, USA

Corresponding Author:

Paul D. Reynolds, University of North Texas at Dallas, 7300 University Hills Blvd., Dallas, TX 75241,

USA.

Email: Paul.Reynolds@untdallas.edu

Police Quarterly

2018, Vol. 21(1) 3–29

!The Author(s) 2017

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DOI: 10.1177/1098611117731558

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Keywords

organizational justice, organizational theory, police misconduct, procedural justice

Introduction

Police performance and actions have recently come under increased scrutiny in

response to high profile events including Ferguson, Staten Island, and Baltimore

(MacDonald, 2016; Nix & Wolfe, 2016). Much of the media attention has

focused on allegations concerning police misconduct and excessive force,

particularly toward minorities (President’s Task Force on 21st Century

Policing, 2015). These events have not only led to increased tensions between

police officers and the community but also between police officers and their

departmental leadership (President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing,

2015). While there has always been conflict within the police subculture between

line officers and organizational leadership (Paoline & Terrill, 2013; Reuss-Ianni,

1983)—most of which may be rooted in officers’ perceptions of perceived

mistreatment from organizational leadership—there is reason to believe it will

continue to escalate. Although it is unclear to what extent, if any, these events

will impact police officer behaviors moving forward (e.g., Ferguson Effect), fair-

ness within the organization may influence police behavior (MacDonald, 2016).

For example, Nix and Wolfe (2016) suggest that officers’ perceptions of

increased fairness within their departments may mitigate the effects of negative

police publicity and decrease officers’ likelihood of feeling unmotivated and

perceptions of increased danger.

Although police accountability is paramount, fairness (e.g., organizational

justice) is essential to promoting an effective and supportive work environment

and is at the core of fostering healthy relationships (Boateng, 2014; Kurtessis

et al., 2017). When officers perceive their departments do not have their backs or

when officers feel mistreated, these perceptions can have real consequences.

Research has consistently supported that fairness is associated with many

work-related outcomes and attitudes among police officers (Donner, Maskaly,

Fridell, & Jennings, 2015; Holtz & Harold, 2013). For instance, organizational

justice has shown to decrease police misconduct (Wolfe & Piquero, 2011). We

know from empirical research that perceived fair organizational treatment

(internal procedural justice) translates into officers supporting external proced-

ural justice (Van Craen & Skogan, 2017), having positive attitudes toward citi-

zens (Myhill & Bradford, 2013), and having decreased perceptions of community

cynicism toward the police (Nix & Wolfe, 2016).

Many officers do not perceive their organizations as fair, according to a study

conducted by Reynolds and Hicks (2015). Officers described police departments

as having biased and inconsistent policies, Machiavellian or harsh disciplinary

processes, and issues with nepotism concerning the distribution of rewards

4Police Quarterly 21(1)