The Psychological Influence of the Police Uniform

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, March, 2001 by Richard R. Johnson

In many situations involving the use of force, the fact that a police officer has a distinguishable uniform can help prevent the officer's injury or death. An officer in plainclothes risks harm by citizens and other officers as a result of misidentification. In certain scenarios, almost all police officers immediately would draw their weapon on people wearing jeans and a T-shirt and carrying a gun in their hand. A plainclothes officer chasing a burglary suspect through backyards at night risks being shot by a home owner who believes the officer is a criminal. The uniform helps both citizens and fellow police officers identify the wearer as having a legitimate purpose for trespassing, using force, or carrying a weapon. [34]

Conclusion

The uniform of a police officer conveys the power and authority of the person wearing it. Research has shown that clothing, including the police uniform, has a powerful psychological impact. When individuals come into contact with each other, they subconsciously search for clues about the other person to understand the context of the encounter. The police uniform represents a powerful clue to the wearer's authority, capability, and status.

Additionally, research has revealed that the uniform has a subconscious psychological influence on people, based on the person's preconceived feelings about police officers. Citizens in the presence of a person in a police uniform cooperate more and curb their illegal or deviant behaviors.

Alterations to the traditional, paramilitary police uniform can result in changes in public perceptions. The style of the clothes, the type of hat worn, the color of the material, and even the condition of the clothes and equipment have an influence on how citizens perceive officers. For these reasons, police administrators seriously should consider their uniform policies. Selecting a uniform style, following regulations on properly wearing the uniform, maintaining uniforms, and designing policies to address when officers may wear plainclothes should command serious attention from department managers. After all, the uniform stands as one of the most important visual representations of the law enforcement profession.

Mr. Johnson, formerly an Indiana State Trooper and a military police officer, is an investigator with the Kane County, Illinois, State's Attorney Office and a criminal justice professor at Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, Illinois.

Endnotes

(1.) L. M. Friedman, Crime and Punishment in American History (New York, NY: Harper Collins, 1993); and C. D. Uchida "The Development of the American Police: An Historical Overview," in Critical Issues in Policing, 2d ed., eds. R. Dunham and G. Alpert (Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 1993).

(2.) E. W. Grosskopf, "The Role of Police Uniforms," Law and Order, August 1982, 27-29.

(3.) D. G. Myers, Social Psychology, 4th Edition (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1993), 186-217.

(4.) N. Joseph and N. Alex, "The Uniform: A Sociological Perspective," American Journal of Sociology 77 (1972): 719-730; S. B. Kaiser The Social Psychology of Clothing (New York, NY: Macmillan, 1985); L. Shaw, "The Role of Clothing in the Criminal Justice System," Journal of Police Science and Administration 1 (1973): 414-420.