CONSUMER EVALUATION OF POLICE PERFORMANCE

• NCJ Number: 53960
• Author(s): H M CARLSON; M S SUTTON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 22 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE EVALUATION, WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 1977 - PANEL 6 EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF POLICE

Annotation

USING A SURVEY OF PERSONS SERVED BY A SAMPLE OF POLICE OFFICERS FROM THREE DEPARTMENTS, ATTITUDES TOWARD POLICE ARE ASSESSED BY TYPE OF CRIME FOR WHICH POLICE WERE CALLED AND THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF EACH DEPARTMENT.

Abstract

TRADITIONAL CRITERIA OF POLICE PERFORMANCE INDICATE VERY LITTLE ABOUT AN OFFICER'S PERFROMANCE IN INTERACTION WITH THE CITIZENRY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO TEST THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING CITIZENS WHO CALLED FOR POLICE SERVICE EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE POLICE OFFICER WHO RESPONDED TO THE CALL. IN CONDUCTING THE STUDY, TWO HYPOTHESES WERE FORMULATED: (1) AN INNOVATIVE POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL GET BETTER CITIZEN RATINGS THAN A LESS INNOVATIVE DEPARTMENT AND (2) POLICE DEPARTMENTS WILL NOT DIFFER IN CITIZEN RATINGS ON SERVICE RECEIVED ON ROUTINE PROPERTY CRIME SERVICE CALLS, BUT WILL DIFFER IN CITIZEN RATINGS ON CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON. SUBJECTS WERE 119 MALE POLICE PERSONNEL FROM 3 POLICE DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING 23 SUPERVISORS AND 96 UNIFORMED PATROL OFFICERS. THE DEPARTMENTS STUDIED WERE SIMILAR IN SIZE AND PERSONNEL STANDARDS. EACH DEPARTMENT WAS RATED ON INNOVATIVENESS ON THE BASIS OF SPECIFIC POLICY STANDARDS TO RENDER ONE DEPARTMENT AS INNOVATIVE, ONE TRADITIONAL, AND THE THIRD AS LESS INNOVATIVE. USING A TELEPHONE QUESTIONNAIRE PROCEDURE, CITIZEN EVALUATIONS OF POLICE SERVICE WERE OBTAINED WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF A POLICE SERVICE CALL. OF THE 217 CITIZENS CONTACTED, ONLY 14 REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. THE HYPOTHESIS THAT AN INNOVATIVE POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL GET BETTER CITIZEN RATINGS THAN A LESS INNOVATIVE DEPARTMENT WAS SUPPORTED BY THE DATA, WITH THE DEPARTMENT CLASSIFIED AS INNOVATIVE RECEIVING SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER CITIZEN RATINGS THAN THE TWO OTHER DEPARTMENTS. THE SECOND HYPOTHESIS WAS NOT SUPPORTED, IN THAT CITIZENS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY IN THEIR EVALUATIONS OF POLICE SERVICES IN RELATION TO WHETHER THE CRIME INVOLVED WAS AGAINST PROPERTY OR PERSON. FAVORABLE EVALUATIONS OF AN OFFICER WERE RELATED MOST OFTEN TO HIS ATTITUDE IN CONVERSING AND INTERACTING WITH THE CITIZEN, AND THE MORE HIGHLY EDUCATED OFFICERS RECEIVED THE MOST FAVORABLE EVALUATIONS. THE MAJOR STUDY FINDING IS THAT EXTERNAL EVALUATION OF POLICE PERFORMANCE BY CITIZEN CONSUMERS IS QUITE FEASIBLE. DATA FROM THE SURVEY ARE PROVIDED, ALONG WITH A SAMPLE OF THE CITIZEN EVALUATION SCALE. REFERENCES ARE ALSO INCLUDED. (RCB)