NCJ Number
59220
Date Published
1979
Length
14 pages
Annotation
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF POLICE CORRUPTION IN A LARGE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS DESCRIBED; USE OF MORAL JUDGEMENT SCALES IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING BATTERY FOR OFFICER APPLICANTS IS DISCUSSED.
Abstract
BECAUSE POLICE CORRUPTION IS VERY COSTLY, BOTH TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSION AND TO SOCIETY IN GENERAL, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AREAS TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING OF POLICE APPLICANTS. ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN RELATIVELY LITTLE EMPHASIS IN THE PAST ON CORRUPTION RESEARCH AND APPLICATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS TO PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING, RESULTS OF RECENT ACTIVITIES IN THIS AREA ARE ENCOURAGING. IN A STUDY CONDUCTED IN A LARGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, CHARACTERISTICS WERE IDENTIFIED WHICH CORRELATED WITH CORRUPTION AND NONCORRUPTION IN POLICE OFFICERS. THERE WERE INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS IN PROGRESS AT THE PROJECT'S ONSET OF A NUMBER OF OFFICERS WHO WERE SUSPECTED OF INVOLVEMENT IN CORRUPT ON-THE-JOB CONDUCT. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE ADMINISTRATION WAS CERTAIN IT COULD CORRECTLY IDENTIFY THOSE OFFICERS WHO WERE ACCEPTING BRIBES, BUT DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY JOB TERMINATION OR TO SUCCESSFULLY BRING CRIMINAL CHARGES. TWO COMMANDING OFFICERS WHO WERE BELIEVED TO BE OF HIGHEST INTEGRITY WERE USED AS RATERS TO PROVIDE A RELIABILITY CHECK ON THE DICHOTOMOUS LIST OF CORRUPT AND NONCORRUPT OFFICERS AND TO CONVERT THIS MEASURE INTO A CONTINUOUS EVALUATION. A CORRUPTION SCORE FOR EACH OFFICER WAS CALCULATED ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMBER OF TIMES AN OFFICER'S NAME WAS CHOSEN FOR ASSOCIATION WITH A STIPULATED VIGNETTE INVOLVING CORRUPT PRACTICES. IN ADDITION, VOLUNTEER OFFICERS WERE ADMINISTERED THE CONSTRUCTS OF HOGAN'S MODEL OF MORAL JUDGMENT INVOLVING FIVE MORAL MEASURES. RESULTS OF THESE PROCEDURES SHOWED THAT IDENTIFICATION OF CORRUPT OFFICERS BY SUPERIORS IS HIGHLY RELIABLE. THE SCALE MEASURING ETHICS OF PERSONAL CONSCIENCE VERSUS ETHICS OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY WAS THE ONE VARIABLE IN A MULTIPLE-REGRESSION EQUATION THAT DISCRIMINATED BEST BETWEEN CORRUPT AND NONCORRUPT OFFICERS. AS FOR BIOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES, THE CORRUPT OFFICERS WERE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE FORMALLY PARTICIPATED IN MORE YEARS OF VARSITY ATHLETICS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND HAVE RELATIVES IN POLICE WORK. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING BATTERIES THAT WOULD INCORPORATE MEASURES OF MATURITY AND MORAL JUDGMENT INDICATING PREDISPOSITION TO CORRUPTION BE USED AS AN ADJUNCT TO EXISTING SCREENING METHODS SUCH AS BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS. REFERENCES AND REFERENCE NOTES ARE PROVIDED. (LWM)