NCJ Number
230654
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2010 Pages: 216-225
Date Published
March 2010
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study explored the possibility that different pathways underlie the aggregate relationship between experience and problem behaviors among police officers.
Abstract
This study explored varying patterns of police problem behaviors as officers gain experience. The policing literature offered little guidance for exploring problem behaviors over the course of officers' careers; therefore, the criminal career paradigm was employed as a means for framing and analyzing this phenomenon. Using a retrospective, longitudinal dataset gathered from a large police department in the northeastern United States, patterns of citizen complaints for a large cohort of officers were examined using a semiparametric, group-based approach. Results indicated that multiple trajectories underlie the aggregate relationship between experience and misconduct, and varying demographic characteristics impact the likelihood that officers will belong to each trajectory. Descriptions of each trajectory and their profiles are presented, and theoretical and practical implications for policing are discussed. Tables, figures, notes, and references (Published Abstract)