NCJ Number
46469
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (MARCH 1978) Pages: 98-104
Date Published
1978
Length
7 pages
Annotation
THE STUDY EXAMINES DETERMINANTS OF POLICE CYNICISM, TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS THAT CYNICISM AND EXPERIENCE ARE CURVILINEARLY RELATED AND CONTROLLING THE TESTS FOR DEPARTMENT SIZE.
Abstract
A PREVIOUS STUDY OF POLICE CYNICISM HAD FOUND THAT CYNICISM RISES STEADILY UPON AN INDIVIDUAL'S COMMENCEMENT OF A POLICE CAREER UNTIL HE HAS 7 TO 10 YEARS OF POLICE SERVICE. IT THEN DECREASES UNTIL RETIREMENT, ALTHOUGH IT IS NEVER AS LOW AS IT WAS PRIOR TO EMPLOYMENT. THAT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPT. THIS STUDY DESCRIBED IN THE ARTICLE REEXAMINES THE ORIGINAL HYPOTHESIS, CONSIDERING ALSO THE POSSIBILITY THAT DEPARTMENT SIZE, AS WELL AS LENGTH OF SERVICE, IS POSITIVELY RELATED TO CYNICISM. IT WAS BASED ON RESPONSES TO A 103-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE BY 324 POLICE OFFICERS REPRESENTING 9 LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN WASHINGTON STATE AND IDAHO. THE DEPARTMENTS RANGED IN SIZE FROM 10 TO 116 MEMBERS WITH ARRESTING AUTHORITY, OPERATING IN COMMUNITIES RANGING IN POPULATION FROM 7,000 TO 135,000. MOST OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE PATROLMEN, ALTHOUGH THE STUDY FOUND NO SIGNIFICANT VARIATION IN RESPONSES BASED ON OFFICER RANK, ITEMS IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE CONSISTED OF STATEMENTS WHICH EXPRESSED EITHER A CYNICAL OR A NONCYNICAL ATTITUDE. RESPONDENTS WERE ASKED WHETHER THEY STRONGLY AGREED, AGREED, WERE UNDECIDED, DISAGREED, OR STRONGLY DISAGREED. RESPONDENTS WERE DIVIDED INTO SEVEN CATEGORIES OF LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT, RANGING FROM 0 TO 3 MONTHS TO OVER 19 YEARS. UPON ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONSES, RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT POLICE CYNICISM SCORES FOR THE LARGER DEPARTMENTS WERE HIGHER THAN THOSE FOR THE SMALLER ONE, AND THE SCORES FOR THE LARGER DEPARTMENTS CORRESPONDED MORE CLOSELY WITH THE ORIGINAL HYPOTHESIS RELATING CYNICISM TO LENGTH OF POLICE SERVICE. FURTHER RESEARCH IS SUGGESTED. (VDA)