NCJ Number
165617
Date Published
1996
Length
26 pages
Annotation
A survey of the Bethlehem, Pa., Police Department gathered information on police work attitudes on the continuum of police officer orientation from service to crime control.
Abstract
The research sought to analyze police attitudes and behaviors that might affect the implementation of community policing programs. Prior research has indicated that implementation of community policing has been largely unsuccessful and that implementing such programs needs to be accompanied by changes in police attitudes, culture, and organization. The survey used two scales, one measuring hassles and uplifts and the other measuring attitudes. Fifty-eight percent of the 130 police officers responded. Results indicated that police orientation toward service provision was related to orientation toward crime control. However, clear discrepancies existed between specific behavioral measures and general attitude measures. The research developed distinct profiles of police officers who were highly service oriented, those who were highly oriented to crime control, those who were highly oriented to both, and those who were low on both. Findings suggested that efforts at police change need to reduce crime-control culture while simultaneously increasing positive attitudes toward the provision of services and to distinguish police officer attitudes from their behaviors. Tables and 97 references