NCJ Number
60482
Date Published
1979
Length
10 pages
Annotation
RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A GERMAN STUDY THAT EXAMINED THE CHARACTER OF COMPLAINTS AND COMPLAINANTS AT A LOCAL POLICE STATION AND PATTERNS OF POLICE RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINTS LODGED.
Abstract
TO INVESTIGATE THE LODGING OF COMPLAINTS, THE STUDY METHOD OF PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION IN A POLICE STATION WAS CONDUCTED OVER A PERIOD OF 81 DAYS FROM FEBRUARY TO OCTOBER, 1973, WITH A TOTAL OBSERVATION TIME OF 650 HOURS. ONE HUNDRED UNSELECTED CASES OF COMPLAINT-LODGING WERE OBSERVED IN A MEDIUM-SIZED TOWN IN SOUTHWEST GERMANY. WHILE METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF THE STUDY WERE CONFRONTED, NONE WERE DEEMED SUFFICIENT TO OVERRIDE THE VALIDITY OF STUDY RESULTS. RESULTS SHOWED NO SUPPORT FOR THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PERSONS OF LOW SOCIAL STATUS REGISTER PROPORTIONATELY MORE COMPLAINTS THAN MEMBERS OF THE MIDDLE OR UPPER CLASSES. ACCORDING TO STATEMENTS IN THE INTERVIEWS, MEMBERS OF THE UPPER AND MIDDLE CLASSES APPARENTLY BRING MORE COMPLAINTS THAN THOSE OF LOWER SOCIAL STATUS. IN THEIR VERBALLY EXPRESSED MOTIVATION FOR BRINGING A COMPLAINT, COMPLAINANTS WERE UNEQUIVOCALLY RULED BY THE PURSUIT OF PERSONAL GOALS RATHER THAN THE DESIRE TO SERVE THE CAUSE OF LAW AND ORDER. THE HYPOTHESIS WAS CONFIRMED THAT POLICE FOLLOW-UP CERTAIN TYPES OF OFFENSES WHILE NEGLECTING OTHERS. COMPLAINTS OF OFFENSES AGAINST THE PERSON WERE MOST OFTEN NOT RECORDED (70 PERCENT) WHEREAS 97 PERCENT OF OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY WERE RECORDED. IN THE SAMPLE OBSERVED, HOWEVER, THE COMPLAINTS OF OFFENSES AGAINST PERSONS WERE TRIVIAL. THE POLICE DID NOT TEND TO OVERCRIMINALIZE IN REACTING TO COMPLAINTS, BUT RATHER TENDED TO SET THE 'INTERVENTION-THRESHOLD' HIGHER THAN THE LITERAL DEMANDS OF LEGAL NORMS. POLICE RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS WAS BASED LARGELY ON THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE CRIME REPORTED, AND NO DISCRIMINATION WITH RESPECT TO LOWER CLASS SUSPECTS WAS OBSERVED, ALTHOUGH THE MORE SEVERE CRIMES REPORTED TENDED TO BE AMONG THE LOWER CLASSES. A REFERENCE IS PROVIDED. (RCB)