NCJ Number
14330
Date Published
1973
Length
53 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY EXPLORED BEHAVIORALLY STATED TASKS PERFORMED BY POLICE SERGEANTS, LIEUTENANTS, AND CAPTAINS TO IDENTIFY THOSE APPLYING TO JURISDICTIONS REGARDLESS OF SIZE AND THOSE DIFFERENTIALLY AFFECTED BY COMMUNITY SIZE.
Abstract
A PRIMARY GOAL OF THE STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY A POOL OF PERFORMANCES (TASKS, BEHAVIORS) OF POLICE SERGEANTS, LIEUTENANTS, AND CAPTAINS WHICH MIGHT SERVE AS REFERENTS FOR JOB RELATED TEST ITEMS FOR PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATIONS FOR THESE RANKS. JOB/TASK ANALYSES OF THE THREE RANKS WERE REFORMULATED INTO STATEMENTS OF BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES WHICH WERE THEN RATED FOR FREQUENCY AND IMPORTANCE BY FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICERS IN EIGHT NEW JERSEY POLICE DEPARTMENTS. FORTY STATEMENTS WERE INCLUDED FOR THE SERGEANT'S FORM, 34 FOR THE LIEUTENANT'S, AND 37 FOR THE CAPTAINS. A SUB-SET OF TASKS SHOWING NO INTERCOMMUNITY DIFFERENCES ARE ISOLATED AND DESCRIBED FOR EACH RANK. OTHER SUB-SETS OF TASKS WHICH DO PRODUCE DIFFERENCES RELATED TO COMMUNITY SIZE ARE ALSO IDENTIFIED. EXCEPT FOR RELATIVELY FEW ITEMS WITHIN EACH FORM, PERCEPTION OF THE FREQUENCY AND IMPORTANCE OF THESE TASKS WAS UNAFFECTED BY THE RANK OF THE OBSERVER. APPENDED MATERIALS ARE THE RATING SCALES USED IN THE STUDY, COPY OF THE STATEMENT EVALUATION FORMS, STUDY RESULTS FOR EACH RANK, AND DATA ON THE COMMUNITIES INCLUDED IN THE STUDY SAMPLE.