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“Police can't help you”: Exploring influences on perceptions of policing cybercrime

Author

Listed:
  • McNealey, Rachel L.
  • Figueroa, Camille I.
  • Maher, Cooper A.

Abstract

As cybercrime in the United States continues to increase steadily, the police's ability to respond to these incidents has become a growing concern. Accordingly, perceptions of the police's ability to deal with cybercrime have become a key determinant of using formal reporting avenues. Using ordinal regression, this study draws from a sample of 1500 U.S. adults to investigate the correlates of respondents' belief that the police could help them following cybervictimization and respondents' support for general policing of the internet. Results show that belief in police ability to respond to cybervictimization varies by types of cybervictimization experienced, race and income, and perceived risk of cybervictimization. Respondents' support for increased policing of the internet also varies by types of cybervictimization experiences, fear of cybervictimization, and particularly by respondent race. These findings suggest that prior experiences, individual characteristics, and perceptions of crime are all key to understanding opinions toward formal cybercrime responses.

Suggested Citation

  • McNealey, Rachel L. & Figueroa, Camille I. & Maher, Cooper A., 2025. "“Police can't help you”: Exploring influences on perceptions of policing cybercrime," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:101:y:2025:i:c:s0047235225001916
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102542
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    References listed on IDEAS

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