The police–military equivalency hypothesis, revisited: a national examination of citizen perceptions of police officers as soldiers

Abstract Over the past four decades, attention focused on police militarization has increased, and citizen assessments of policing have broadened to include more than mere satisfaction with and confidence in the police. This study explores whether police militarization has resulted in citizens developing a perception of police–military equivalency, where they view police officers as soldiers in a war on crime instead of public servants. Using data from an opt-in survey of United States residents (N = 1,216), this study examines the correlates of a belief in police–military equivalency. The findings indicate that conservative crime ideology, symbolic racism, confidence in the police, and higher perceptions of crime are related to stronger beliefs in police–military equivalency, while both perceptions of police misconduct and negative contact with the police are related to weaker beliefs. Among the demographic variables, only Hispanic respondents had significantly weaker belief in police–military equivalency.