The urge to search: cognitive and affective drivers of citizen searches in missing person cases

In missing persons cases, police often face citizen initiated searches. Though possibly beneficial (e.g., capacity), citizen involvement also carries risks (e.g., destroying evidence). It is important to manage searches, but often the police have no formal basis for cooperation and no legal means to impose restrictions. The police can only manage searches by exerting their influence at the behavioral level. Before behavioral interventions can be developed, it is necessary to understand the psychological drivers underlying citizen searches. Through a questionnaire (N = 627) based on Community Engagement Theory, Theory of Planned Behavior, and affective measures, we investigated what factors influence citizens’ intent to search. Intention related positively to affect, and beliefs about efficacy and usefulness. The only negative relationship found was for perceived authority. The results suggest that affect is a strong predictor of citizen involvement, and that strengthening perceived police authority offers opportunities to limit or redirect citizen searches where necessary.