NCJ Number
31052
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 3 Issue: 4 Dated: (DECEMBER 1975) Pages: 450-457
Date Published
1975
Length
8 pages
Annotation
RESPONSES TO A SERIES OF VIGNETTES ILLUSTRATING TEN DIFFERENT POLICE DISCRETIONARY SITUATIONS WERE COMPARED FOR COLLEGE EDUCATED AND NON-COLLEGE EDUCATED POLICE RECRUITS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF POLICE EDUCATION.
Abstract
THE SUBJECTS FOR THIS STUDY WERE ALL POLICE RECRUITS UNDERGOING BASIC TRAINING AT ONE OF THE POLICE TRAINING ACADEMIES IN NEW JERSEY. FIFTY-FOUR RECRUITS COMPRISING THE FIRST SAMPLE HAD ONE OR MORE YEARS OF COLLEGE. FORTY-FOUR, COMPRISING THE SECOND SAMPLE, HAD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS OR THE EQUIVALENT. TEN VIGNETTES WERE CHOSEN WHICH ILLUSTRATED POLICE DISCRETIONARY ACTIONS TAKEN IN SITUATIONS CHARACTERIZED BY SUCH CONDITIONS AS AMBIGUITY IN THE STATUTORY LANGUAGE, VICTIM INVOLVEMENT IN MISCONDUCT, OR TRIVIAL OFFENSES. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RESPONSES OF COLLEGE AND NONCOLLEGE SAMPLES WERE FOUND FOR ONLY A FEW OF THE VIGNETTES. HOWEVER, WHEN THE TYPE OF RESPONSE WAS ANALYZED FOR ALL TEN SITUATIONS, IT WAS FOUND THAT COLLEGE EDUCATED RECRUITS WERE MORE LIKELY TO OPT FOR APPROACHES NOT INVOLVING AN ARREST OR OTHER OFFICIAL ACTION THAN THE NON-COLLEGE EDUCATED RECRUITS. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ARE PROVIDED.