NEW YORK CITY'S POLICE - THE BACKGROUND AND PERFORMANCE OF THE CLASS OF '57

• NCJ Number: 13225
• Author(s): B COHEN; J M CHAIKEN
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 0 pages
• Grant Number(s): NI-71-030
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: New York City-Rand Institute
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/

Annotation

BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS WERE FOUND TO BE RELATED TO POLICE OFFICERS' JOB TERMINATION, CAREER ADVANCEMENT, AND DEPARTMENTAL DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS.

Abstract

FOR THIS STUDY THE RECORDS OF ALL THE MEN APPOINTED TO THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 1957 WERE EXAMINED TO CONSTRUCT A PORTRAIT OF THE CLASS OF '57. AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO ISOLATE THE BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS AND TEST SCORES WHICH APPEAR TO BE RELATED, POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY, TO LATER PERFORMANCE, AND TO IDENTIFY ATTRIBUTES WHICH ARE COMMONLY ACCEPTED AS INDICATORS OF FUTURE GOOD OR BAD PERFORMANCE BUT DO NOT APPEAR FROM DATA TO HAVE THE ANTICIPATED RELATIONSHIP. THE FOLLOWING BACKGROUND VARIABLES WERE USED - RACE, AGE, FAMILY DESCRIPTORS (NUMBER OF SIBLINGS, REGION OF BIRTH, AND FATHER'S OCCUPATION), OCCUPATIONAL, MILITARY, AND PERSONAL HISTORIES, AND INCIDENTS INVOLVING POLICE AND COURTS. CAREER ADVANCEMENT, DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS, AND ABSENTEEISM WERE ALSO NOTED. JOB TERMINATION, CAREER ADVANCEMENT, AND DEPARTMENTAL DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS WERE FOUND TO BE RELATED TO BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS OF OFFICERS. IN COMPARING BACKGROUND AND PERFORMANCE OF WHITE AND BLACK OFFICERS, THE DATA SHOWED THAT THE BLACKS WERE OLDER, MORE OF THEM WERE MARRIED, MORE WERE BORN OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY, AND THEY WERE CONSIDERABLY BETTER EDUCATED THAN THE WHITE OFFICERS. THE DATA ALSO SHOWED THAT THE FATHERS OF WHITE APPLICANTS RANKED HIGHER THAN FATHERS OF BLACK APPLICANTS ON THE SCALE OF PRESTIGE USED IN THE STUDY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)