NCJ Number
173869
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 1998 Pages: 87-97
Date Published
1998
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Official complaints filed with the internal affairs office of a large police department in the southeastern part of the United States were examined over a 3-year period between 1992 and 1994 to assess the race of the citizen filing the complaint, police officer characteristics, complaint characteristics, and police department reactions.
Abstract
During the 1992-1994 period, 527 complaints were filed that involved 682 allegations of wrongdoing. The allegations include a wide range of types of police misconduct, and labels applied by internal affairs investigators were discretionary and inconsistent over the analysis period. Complaints were grouped into four distinct categories: (1) 149 complaints involving force; (2) 339 nonviolent complaints of threatening behavior, harassment, and discourtesy; (3) 159 complaints involving dereliction in the performance of duties; and (4) 35 miscellaneous complaints. The police department employed just over 500 sworn law enforcement personnel with an average age of 36.05 years and a mean length of service of 11.97 years. Logistic regression analysis of data indicated several variables were significant predictors of citizen race, including police officer age and tenure, complaint type and initiation, number of police officers at the scene, and complaint substantiation. The relationship between complaint substantiation and citizen race was spurious; when controlling for complaint type, this relationship was not significant. Minority citizens were more likely to file a complaint as a result of proactive contacts with police officers. 47 references and 4 tables