Our project explores how informal relationships and workplace interactions guide police work. Our working hypothesis is that the structure of officer relationships has consequences for the diffusion of behaviors and attitudes within departments. Who officers hang out and socialize with shape positive and negative outcomes, including retention, job satisfaction and misconduct.

The overarching questions of our work are:

1) What is the social structure of officer networks within departments?
2) Does an officer’s position within the departmental network shape the social transmission of behaviors and attitudes?
3) Do groups of officers embedded in the departmental network promote and sustain institutional cultures?

To answer these questions, we compiled a longitudinal multi-site dataset of police networks. Network surveys were used to map the informal structure of relationships, providing a birds-eye view of the full set of interactions between officers in police departments. Officer interviews provided contextual information to assess the role of these relationships on officer decision making. Together, our project aims to uncover the social system of policing, providing actionable data to identify, prevent and respond to police abuses.

Our project has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Collaborative of Gun Violence Research.