NCJ Number
93113
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1984) Pages: 47-58
Date Published
1984
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Study findings provide support for the contention that recruits and probationary police officers are socialized into the occupation and that this process affects their cognitive orientations.
Abstract
The model to explain occupational socialization was a melding of two schools of research and consisted of four elements. First, the socialization process was divided into three time stages. Second, the process of occupational socialization was specified within a reference group framework. Next, a set of structural factors affecting the reference group's nature and content were included. Finally, a set of enhancers and retardants of reference group affiliation and influence were specified in the model. The subjects included in the study were police recruits in three medium-sized metropolitan police departments in the southeastern United States. Each group of recruits was treated as a panel and surveyed throughout their careers at the training academy and as probationary police officers. Only those subjects without prior police experience who also completed all three questionnaires were included in the final sample of 117 subjects. The subjects were administered questionnaires at three points: the first day of classes at the three training academies (T1), immediately after the last academy class and prior to graduation (T2), and at the recruit's assigned precinct/headquarters 3 months after completion of academy training. Each questionnaire contained demographic questions, a Rokeach Value Survey, Form E, and other scales designed to tap reference group affiliation, structural factors of the job, demographics, and other related variables. Findings revealed that the recruits' values became more similar to those of experienced officers during academy training (from T1 to T2) but -- unexpectedly -- decreased in similarity during the period as probationary officers on the street (T2 to T3). Value similarity scores were affected by the hypothesized retardants and enhancers of socialization but not always as predicted by the model. Finally, the measured structural factors did effect similarity at T3 when these factors were predicted to have their greatest effect. Since the empirical relationships were not always predicted by the model, further model construction and testing must be undertaken. Tabular data and 38 references are provided.