See Something, Say Something?: Examining Variation in Willingness to Report Potential Suspicious Activity to Police
Presenter Type
UNO Graduate Student (Masters)
Major/Field of Study
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0001-6038-9394
Advisor Information
Erin M. Kearns, Department of Criminology
Location
MBSC Ballroom Poster # 1206 - G (Masters)
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
24-3-2023 1:00 PM
End Date
24-3-2023 2:15 PM
Abstract
Effective terrorism and targeted violence (TTV) prevention requires that members of the public report concerning pre-incident behavior to law enforcement who can then intervene. Yet – as numerous tragedies have shown – even when people are aware of or have suspicions about potential threats, they may not report their concerns to law enforcement. While much is known about the public’s willingness to report more common crimes, little research has focused on how these findings apply to willingness to report suspicious activity related to terrorism. Scholarship often assumes that correlates of willingness to report crime are racially invariant, and this is no different for the limited research on willingness to report terrorism related activity that has either focused on the general public or on the Muslim community. The present study addresses these gaps in the literature by asking two related questions: How do incident-level factors impact willingness to report potential suspicious activity to police? And, to what extent are these factors racial invariant? We explore these questions through an online survey experimental design with four samples – white, Black. Hispanic, and Arab, Middle Eastern, or Muslim U.S. adults – in which we present participants with potentially suspicious scenarios and ask their willingness to report each to law enforcement. Findings indicate that willingness to report to law enforcement varies based on incident-level characteristics such as type of observed suspicious behavior and relationship to the suspect, and these results vary across racial groups. This research questions the assumption that correlates of reporting are racially invariant.
Scheduling
9:15-10:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m.-Noon, 1-2:15 p.m., 2:30 -3:45 p.m.
See Something, Say Something?: Examining Variation in Willingness to Report Potential Suspicious Activity to Police
MBSC Ballroom Poster # 1206 - G (Masters)
Effective terrorism and targeted violence (TTV) prevention requires that members of the public report concerning pre-incident behavior to law enforcement who can then intervene. Yet – as numerous tragedies have shown – even when people are aware of or have suspicions about potential threats, they may not report their concerns to law enforcement. While much is known about the public’s willingness to report more common crimes, little research has focused on how these findings apply to willingness to report suspicious activity related to terrorism. Scholarship often assumes that correlates of willingness to report crime are racially invariant, and this is no different for the limited research on willingness to report terrorism related activity that has either focused on the general public or on the Muslim community. The present study addresses these gaps in the literature by asking two related questions: How do incident-level factors impact willingness to report potential suspicious activity to police? And, to what extent are these factors racial invariant? We explore these questions through an online survey experimental design with four samples – white, Black. Hispanic, and Arab, Middle Eastern, or Muslim U.S. adults – in which we present participants with potentially suspicious scenarios and ask their willingness to report each to law enforcement. Findings indicate that willingness to report to law enforcement varies based on incident-level characteristics such as type of observed suspicious behavior and relationship to the suspect, and these results vary across racial groups. This research questions the assumption that correlates of reporting are racially invariant.