Analysis of Factors Related to Robbery - Associated Assaults on Police Officers - Part 2

• NCJ Number: 84050
• Journal: Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1982) Pages: 127-150
• Author(s): C K Meyer; T C Magedanz; S G Chapman; D C Dahlin; C Swanson
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 24 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This second part of a two-part study presents data on the physical and job-related characteristics of officers assaulted in robbery situations, as well as assailant characteristics.

Abstract

The analysis of the characteristics of officers assaulted in robbery situations suffers from a lack of general data. Also, many officer variables, such as age, length of service, rank, and training are interrelated, so as to make it difficult to identify exact relationships between these variables and the officer's vulnerability to assault. In the area of physical characteristics, the only certain statement that can be made is that the majority of officers were male. In the area of job-related characteristics (age, tenure, rank, and training), lower ranking, younger, less experienced officers were more likely to be assaulted, but there is no evidence that these conditions are causally related to assault proneness. Comparable data on these and other variables, as well as psychological and attitudinal data, are needed before any firm conclusions about such victimization can be made. The assailants tended to be male, nonwhite, and young, although not as young as many robbery and other property crime suspects. The personal characteristics of assailants bore a close resemblance to robbery offenders in general, with the assailants tending to be older than the average robber. Offenders in general police assaults show a much higher percentage of alcohol use than do robber assailants, and the unemployment rate, while still high, is much lower for general assailants than for robber assailants. There is not enough evidence here to dispute the claim that robbery is predominantly a form of property crime in which violence is an occupational risk rather than a motivating factor. Suggestions for additional research are offered. Tabular data and 15 references are provided. For part 1, which outlines the research design and reviews the literature on police assaults, see NCJ 82520. (Author summary modified)