During the past five years there has been increased attention on the police, primary because of officer-involved shooting events. Many of these incidents, as well as other actions of individual officers, have been captured on cell phone cameras and posted to social media. These images threatened the legitimacy of a police agency and the career of an officer.

There are suggestions that the police will “back off” their proactive behavior, and act only where there is an unavoidable call for service. This is the “Ferguson Effect,” which is also called “de-policing.” Officers will intentionally avoid some behavior rather than risk having their actions recorded on by a citizen.

This webinar will review the recent research exploring policing attitudes and perceptions of de-policing. It will uncover what police officers, supervisors, and administrators think about this issue. Further, there are some tactics that can reduce the Ferguson Effect in officers.