NCJ Number
12078
Date Published
1971
Length
153 pages
Annotation
IDENTIFICATION OF COMMUNITY AND POLICE DEPARTMENT CHARACTERISTICS WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE POLICEMAN'S BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS, BEHAVIOR, AND ATTITUDES.
Abstract
THIS DISSERTATION WAS DESIGNED AS AN EXPLORATORYDESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF A COMPARISON OF RURAL AND URBAN MUNICIPAL POLICE. THE DATA WERE GATHERED FROM INTERVIEWS WITH A STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLE OF 284 NON-METROPOLITAN AND 255 METROPOLITAN POLICE IN MISSOURI MUNICIPALITIES. THE DISTINCTION OF THE METROPOLITAN VERSUS THE NONMETROPOLITAN LOCATION WAS BASED ON MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN OR OUTSIDE OF STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS. SAMPLING CONSIDERATIONS WERE ALSO GIVEN TO THE SELECTION OF RESPONDENTS WITHIN EACH POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED IN TERMS OF FIVE SEPARATE PROBLEM AREAS WHICH WERE DEVELOPED FROM THE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE, AND WHICH CONTAINED THE PROPOSITIONS PREDICTIVE OF VARIABLE RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE STUDY. THESE PROBLEM AREAS WERE - (1) BACKGROUND INFORMATION, (2) PERSONAL AND CAREER CHARACTERISTICS, (3) POLICE BEHAVIOR, (4) PERCEPTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY, AND (5) PERCEPTIONS OF THE JOB. THE GENERAL EXPECTATIONS OF THE STUDY WERE THAT URBAN POLICE WOULD TEND TO BE BETTER EDUCATED, COME FROM HIGHER SOCIAL CLASS FAMILIES, BE MORE BUREAUCRATICALLY ORGANIZED, HAVE A GREATER CAREER COMMITMENT, AND BE MORE PROFESSIONALLY ORIENTED TOWARD THEIR WORK THAN WOULD RURAL POLICE. THE FINDINGS OFFERED LIMITED SUPPORT TO THE INITIAL RESEARCH EXPECTATIONS. HOWEVER, THE SIMILARITIES AMONG ALL CATEGORIES OF POLICE WERE VERY STRONG AND GENERAL. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE CONCEPT 'POLICE SUBCULTURE' WERE DISCUSSED. THE DOCUMENT INCLUDES REFERENCES AND THE QUESTIONNAIRE USED FOR THE STUDY.