(Dis)trust in action

An interactional study of a police stop-and-check operation in Rio de Janeiro

Authors

  • Amanda Dinucci Almeida Bühler Velasco Pedro II School
  • Maria do Carmo Leite de Oliveira Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
  • Paulo Cortes Gago Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jalpp.21701

Keywords:

distrust, police stop-and-check operation, talk-in-interaction, trust

Abstract

Recent public statistics on law enforcement activities show that the Brazilian police are among the nation’s least trusted institutions. The legitimacy of policing derives from a perception of fair and justifiable rules applied fairly to all citizens, but police actions in low-income favela communities in Brazil have been denounced repeatedly for their arbitrary nature, abuse of authority and truculence. Most studies analysing trust in the police have been conducted through surveys. In this paper, however, we examine trust in action, through a video analysis of a stop-and-check operation undertaken by police officers in a low-income favela community in Rio de Janeiro. The analysis of this interaction shows that distrust steered the actions of both sides: the officers’ decision to stop somebody and use force reflects this distrust in people living or moving around in these narrow alleys, while the suspect’s resistance and calls for help demonstrate his fear and distrust of the police. We believe that examining police actions through a micro-analytical lens can contribute to training law enforcement officers, encouraging deeper reflection on factors that undermine trust in this institution.

Author Biographies

  • Amanda Dinucci Almeida Bühler Velasco, Pedro II School

    Amanda Dinucci Almeida Bühler Velasco is a teacher at Pedro II School and a researcher at the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), where she is working on a project entitled Communicative Skills and Police Practice in Communities in the Pacification Process. She has experience in video analysis and multimodality and she has carried out research on video recordings from police contexts.

  • Maria do Carmo Leite de Oliveira, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro

    Maria do Carmo Leite de Oliveira is an Associate Professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and a researcher at the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and at the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ). Her research interests are mainly language and social interaction at work. She is currently working on a project entitled Morality and Professional Practice (funded by CNPq) and another entitled Communicative Skills and Police Practice in Communities in the Pacification Process (funded by FAPERJ).

  • Paulo Cortes Gago, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

    Paulo Cortes Gago is a senior lecturer in German Language at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and researcher at the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). His research interests include language, social interaction, institutional discourse and professional practice. He has experience in investigating discourse in institutional settings, e.g., business negotiation, mediation, police interviews and psychiatric interviews.

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Published

2023-11-17

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 3 (2020)

Section

Articles

License

Equinox Publishing Ltd.

How to Cite

Dinucci Almeida Bühler Velasco, A., Leite de Oliveira, M. do C., & Cortes Gago, P. (2023). (Dis)trust in action: An interactional study of a police stop-and-check operation in Rio de Janeiro. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 17(3), 314-338. https://doi.org/10.1558/jalpp.21701

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