Organizational Sources of Internal Procedural Justice: Exploring the Differential Effects of Perceived Treatment by Police Command Staff, Supervisors, and Peers

Internal procedural justice (IPJ) in police departments is associated with a range of positive outcomes for officer attitudes and behaviors. However, the relative effects of IPJ may not be uniform across the organization. The goal of this study is to explore whether the effects of IPJ vary by hierarchical source. Data was collected from a survey administered in one metropolitan police department in the Eastern United States. Ordinal logistic regression models explore how IPJ from peers, immediate supervisors, and the command staff relates to officer reports of job satisfaction, work motivation, command staff and supervisor legitimacy, attitudes toward the public and procedurally just policing, and endorsement of misconduct. Findings indicate that officers who perceive higher levels of IPJ from the command staff report more job satisfaction and more motivation and view their supervisors and the top command as more legitimate. Officers who perceive more IPJ from their immediate supervisors report higher levels of work motivation, view those supervisors as more legitimate, and are less likely to endorse misconduct. Officers who perceived more IPJ from peers report more procedurally just attitudes toward the public. Research has yet to explore how effects of IPJ may vary by hierarchical source in police agencies. Exploring the specific effects of IPJ delivered from each of these three levels has important implications for how police departments approach the implementation of IPJ within their agencies to maximize effectiveness and address their organizational challenges.