Police cynicism: a state-of-the-art literature review

Purpose The level of cynicism officers experience can directly impact their day-to-day decisions, especially in policing’s currently strained climate. This paper provides an updated systematic review of the predictors, outcomes and conceptualizations of police cynicism within the relevant literature. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review was conducted utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach. Results from the 56 articles published after Langworthy’s 1987 systematic review are included. It was hypothesized that due to the current climate, police cynicism may be more discussed within the literature, especially when examined with the “Ferguson Effect.” Findings Researchers conceptualize police cynicism in various ways outside the traditional measures. Officers who were more cynical were more likely to maintain tougher law enforcement orientations and may have been more likely to engage in problem behaviors. Lack of internal support was related to organizational cynicism. Support for the Ferguson effect and demographic-related variables (tenure, racial identity and gender) on police cynicism yielded mixed findings despite the field’s inclination of their augmenting impact. Research limitations/implications More research needs to be conducted on operationalizing and conceptualizing police cynicism. Researchers should establish standardized measures of police cynicism to help disaggregate results, as well as recruit from multiple agencies to increase generalizability. Originality/value This review is the first literature review conducted on police cynicism since Langworthy’s 1987 review. Exploring data post-1987 illustrates contemporary conceptualizations of police cynicism and related significant findings.