To Acquiesce or Rebel: Predicting Citizen Compliance with Police Requests

Abstract

This article explores a variety of predictors of citizens' compliance with police requests to cease misbehavior. Where possible, the authors attempt to closely replicate the 1996 model formulated by Mastrofski, Snipes, and Supina to explain citizen compliance in Richmond, Virginia. Data on police-citizen encounters (N = 989) are drawn from the Project on Policing Neighbor hoods, conducted in Indianapolis, Indiana, and St. Petersburg, Florida. The analysis indicates that a variety of legitimating factors influence compliance; however, the model's overall explanatory power is weaker than expected.