IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/osf/socarx/baz27_v1.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Repairing Broken Windows: A Framework to Counter Disinformation and Extremism in U.S. Law Enforcement

Author

Listed:
  • Syring, Kenneth

Abstract

Disinformation poses a significant threat to American law enforcement and, by extension, to democratic governance. Law enforcement officers, often exhibiting heightened levels of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO), are particularly vulnerable to disinformation campaigns that undermine public trust and fuel political extremism. This paper proposes a comprehensive policy framework designed to mitigate the spread of disinformation and extremist beliefs among law enforcement officers through a combination of civics education and service-learning programs. Drawing on behavioral science research, it demonstrates how such interventions can reduce RWA and SDO traits, thereby enhancing officers’ critical thinking, empathy, and commitment to democratic principles. The proposed “Repairing Broken Windows” initiative reframes law enforcement as a form of national service, focusing on civic engagement and democratic literacy to build resilience against disinformation and restore public trust. This paper emphasizes the urgent need to inoculate law enforcement against disinformation, not only to reduce susceptibility to extremist ideologies but also to protect democratic institutions from being undermined by radicalized security forces. By fostering critical engagement and reinforcing the rule of law, this proposal offers actionable solutions for policymakers to safeguard democratic integrity within law enforcement. May 2022 (Revised March 2023; October 2024)

Suggested Citation

  • Syring, Kenneth, 2024. "Repairing Broken Windows: A Framework to Counter Disinformation and Extremism in U.S. Law Enforcement," SocArXiv baz27_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:baz27_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/baz27_v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://osf.io/download/663a70b197d1423516dae39b/
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.31219/osf.io/baz27_v1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:baz27_v1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: OSF (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://arabixiv.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.