NCJ Number
153478
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: (1994) Pages: 51-75
Date Published
1994
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Data collected from 324 patrol officers in Detroit in 1989 were used to reassess the results of a 1978 study focusing on the relative importance of various demographic and job-specific attitudes in predicting police job satisfaction.
Abstract
Results revealed a basic continuation of the attitudes first noticed in the 1978 study. Specifically, inherent occupational characteristics such as the officers' reaction to stress, pressures on their family, and prestige in the department did not produce very high levels of dissatisfaction. However, they reported far lower levels of satisfaction on questions related to supervision and advancement. In addition, the overall level of job satisfaction has declined on nearly all measures, possibly due to the massive layoffs from 1980-84 or to differences in managerial styles in the later period. Findings also revealed that the officers realistically perceive their job as being stressful. Moreover, although demographic variables did not explain a high percentage of variance in most categories, black officers appeared far less dissatisfied than whites, and years in policing appeared to be inversely correlated with general job satisfaction and satisfaction on specific factors. Overall, findings suggest that the impact of many demographic factors in particular police agencies are highly situational, while the impact of other factors reflect more fundamental aspects of the policing experience. Tables and 24 references