Cultivating Police Use of Force Perceptions through Cinema: Maintaining the Racial Divide?

This study draws on Robert E. Park's writings regarding the impact of cinema on acculturation and James Baldwin's extensive reflections on the role of entertainment media in promoting the racial divide in the United States. Public opinion studies following the Trayvon Martin case and others reveal a racial divide regarding decisions to not charge or acquit officers. Research has shown that most members of the general public have no personal knowledge of both the criminal justice system and other races. Therefore, opinions are largely dependent on knowledge garnered through the media. Cultivation theory postulates that long-term exposure to specific media messages can result in subjects adopting specific opinions. Before a cultivation effect can be determined, the messages conveyed must be identified. This exploratory first step cultivation theory analysis examines municipal police officer use of force scenes in the first 40 years of the core cop film genre leading up to the killing of Trayvon Martin. A total population of 112 films was systematically identified, and all 468 police use of force scenes contained within the genre served as the units of analysis. Each scene was examined to determine depiction patterns and messages conveyed based on the race of officer. Findings revealed that White officers were overwhelmingly represented in use of force scenes, while minority officer scenes were isolated to specific years and films. Findings also demonstrated a dependence on a White officer's presence when minority officers used force on Whites. The historical origins and role of such depictions in cultivating current public perceptions of use of force are discussed.