PERSPECTIVE ON POLICE PROFESSIONALIZATION (FROM POLICE COMMUNITY - DIMENSIONS OF AN OCCUPATIONAL SUBCULTURE, 1974, BY J GOLDSMITH AND S S GOLDSMITH - SEE NCJ-14809)

• NCJ Number: 29345
• Author(s): S O WHITE
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 24 pages
• Corporate Author: Palisades Publishers
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

INCLUDED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE A CRITIQUE OF THE PROFESSIONALIZATION MODEL FOR POLICE REFORM, A TYPOLOGY OF POLICE ROLES, AND SOME SUGGESTED APPLICATIONS OF THE TYPOLOGY TO POLICY-RELATED RESEARCH.

Abstract

THE AUTHOR DEFINES POLICE PROFESSIONALIZATION AS A PROCESS OF IMPOSING EXTERNAL CONTROLS WHICH PRODUCES A SET OF ROLE PERCEPTIONS SUCH THAT JOB-RELATED BEHAVIORS ARE DEEMED ACCEPTABLE OR UNACCEPTABLE BY REFERENCE TO VALUES AND CONSTRAINTS INHERENT IN A PROFESSIONAL CODE. IN HIS CRITIQUE OF THIS MODEL, THE AUTHOR ARGUES THAT THE CRITERIA ACCORDING TO WHICH BEHAVIORS ARE DEEMED ACCEPTABLE ARE NOT SELF-EVIDENT; THAT THE NATURE OF THE CONTROL BEING DESCRIBED FOR POLICE IS NOT CLEAR; AND THAT THE ROLE PERCEPTIONS NECESSARY FOR PROMOTING PROFESSIONALIZATION HAVE NEVER BEEN DEFINED. FOUR PRIMARY ROLE TYPES FOR POLICE ARE IDENTIFIED: THE 'TOUGH COP', THE 'RULE-APPLIER', THE 'PROBLEM-SOLVER', AND THE 'CRIME-FIGHTER'. CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH OF THESE POLICE ROLE TYPES ARE OUTLINED. SEVERAL HYPOTHESES ARE THEN PRESENTED WHICH PREDICT THE EFFECTS OF POLICE PROFESSIONALIZATION ON EACH OF THESE ROLE TYPES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)