ABSTRACT
Only recently garnering the attention of intergroup communication scholars (see Giles, Choi, & Dixon, 2010; Molloy & Giles, 2002), the police officer-civilian encounter is, arguably, among the most visibly salient identity-marking of intergroup settings. This is due in part to an officer’s uniform, hairstyle, badge, and array of defensive weaponry (Durkin & Jeffrey, 2000) as well as their unique legal authority to use various levels of physical force if deemed necessary (Klockars, 1985). For civilians, such associations may have been absorbed early in childhood and, as such, can make this a frightening relationship in adolescence and beyond (Drury, 2010; Forman, 2004).
