NCJ Number
65042
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 67 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1980) Pages: 34-36,79
Date Published
1980
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A STUDY OF SATISFACTION AMONG LAW ENFORCEMENT AND JAIL SECURITY PERSONNEL IN A MIDWESTERN SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT SUGGESTS THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR JAIL SECURITY.
Abstract
SINCE THEIR PERSONNEL MUST BOTH ENFORCE THE LAW AND PROVIDE JAIL SECURITY, SHERIFF DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION IS COMPLEX. HOWEVER, ROTATING PERSONNEL BETWEEN BOTH JOBS HURTS JOB SATISFACTION. ALTHOUGH MANY LARGE DEPARTMENTS KEEP JAIL SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT SEPARATE, MANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS LACK FUNDS TO DO SO OR WISH THEIR PERSONNEL TO HAVE EXPERIENCE IN BOTH. NEVERTHELESS, IT IS CLAIMED THAT KEEPING JAILS DISSATISFIES PERSONNEL PRIMARILY INTERESTED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. A TOTAL OF 595 SWORN OFFICERS WITH IDENTICAL TRAINING, ASSIGNED TO JAIL SECURITY FOR 2 TO 4 YEARS (BUT WITH MANY EXPECTING FUTURE LAW ENFORCEMENT WORK), WERE SURVEYED ABOUT THEIR JOB SATISFACTION. ALTHOUGH THEY GENERALLY REPORTED JOB SATISFACTION, OTHER OFFICERS SURVEYED WHO WERE WORKING AT LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED MUCH GREATER JOB SATISFACTION. THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT, JAIL SECURITY PERSONNEL REPORTED THE MOST JOB DISSATISFACTION AND LOWEST MORALE. THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT NEW LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL WORKING TEMPORARILY AT JAIL SECURITY MIGHT REPORT HIGH JOB SATISFACTION SINCE THEY VIEW JAIL SECURITY AS A NECESSARY STOP TOWARD LAW ENFORCEMENT. SHERIFFS SHOULD ABANDON COMPULSORILY ASSIGNING LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL TO JAIL SECURITY (IF POSSIBLE), AS IT IS DISRUPTIVE TO JAILS AND DRAINS NEW IDEAS AND NEW BLOOD FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE DEPARTMENT. FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. (PAP)