NCJ Number
57631
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: (SPRING 1978) Pages: 93-99
Date Published
1978
Length
7 pages
Annotation
TWO ORGANIZATIONAL TYPES ARE CONTRASTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER FACTORS INHERENT IN POLICE SYSTEMS BREED CYNICISM OR WHETHER CYNICISM DEVELOPS DUE TO THE PECULIAR DEMANDS OF THE POLICE OFFICER WORK ENVIRONMENT.
Abstract
DATA WAS COLLECTED FROM 189 POLICE OFFICERS IN 2 AGENCIES, AN URBAN COUNTY AGENCY AND A CITY AGENCY. FIVE VARIABLES MEASURED CYNICISM TOWARDS RELATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL FUNCTIONS, AND ABOUT POLICE DEDICATION TO DUTY, POLICE SOLIDARITY, AND TRAINING AND EDUCATION. THREE ADDITIONAL VARIABLES INCLUDED EDUCATION, LENGTH OF SERVICE, AND WORK ALIENATION. DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH GAMMA CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS. FINDINGS REVEALED SPECIFIC AREAS OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE TWO TYPES OF AGENCIES. FOR EXAMPLE, CITY POLICE WITH THE HIGHER ADVANCED DEGREES SHOWED LESS OVERALL CYNICISM THAN OTHER GROUPS, WHILE COUNTY POLICE WITH HIGHER DEGREES EVIDENCED THE MOST CYNICISM TOWARD POLICE ORGANIZATION. CITY POLICE WITH GREATER LENGTHS OF SERVICE DISPLAYED THE GREATEST OVERALL CYNICISM, WHILE COUNTY POLICE WITH THE GREATER LENGTHS OF SERVICE REVEALED THE LEAST. FOR BOTH CITY AND COUNTY AGENCIES, THE CORRELATION BETWEEN LENGTH OF SERVICE AND CYNICISM TOWARD THE POLICE ORGANIZATION AND ADVANCED EDUCATION WERE HIGH. FINALLY, THE HIGHER THE WORK ALIENATION AMONG BOTH URBAN COUNTY AND CITY POLICE, THE GREATER THE CYNICISM. FINDINGS OF THIS TYPE INDICATE THAT DIFFERENT TYPES OF CYNICISM WILL EMERGE AMONG VARYING TYPES OF AGENCIES BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCES IN THEIR OCCUPATIONAL ROLES. THE STUDY DEMONSTRATES THE NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH IN THE AREA WHICH MOVES BEYOND TREATING 'POLICE' AS A CONSTANT AND EXAMINES THE DIFFERENCES THAT RESULT FROM VARYING INSTITUTIONAL EXPERIENCES. A STUDY DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (STB)