NCJ Number
145651
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: (1993) Pages: 395- 409
Date Published
1993
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Using survey data, this study used logistic regression to test whether attitudes toward the police predicted interest in police work among black and white high school seniors.
Abstract
Questionnaires were administered to all seniors in Albany Public High School in New York in May 1989. Responses came from 356 students, amounting to about 87 percent of the senior class. Sixty-one percent of the students were white, 29 percent were black, 3 percent were Asian, 1 percent were Hispanic, and 5 percent were of other races. The questionnaire contained 77 questions focusing on attitudes toward the police, exposure to police recruitment efforts, educational and occupational aspirations, perceptions about their qualifications for the job, minor delinquent behavior, and other topics. The analysis focused on 10 questions. Results revealed that the black students expressed less favorable attitudes toward the police than the white students, but several variables expected to predict interest in police work failed to achieve statistical significance. Findings provided only limited support for the common assertion that the negative attitudes of blacks toward the police preclude their consideration of a career in law enforcement. Appended questions from the survey, notes, and 42 references