NCJ Number
174010
Date Published
1995
Length
293 pages
Annotation
Following a review of the literature on the relationship between police educational level and police performance, this book reports on a study that examined the relationships between education, officer performance, and professionalism of a group of patrol officers in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Abstract
The primary issue addressed is whether an officer's educational level (the presence or absence of some level of college education) influences the probationary performance levels and subsequent professional attitudes of LAPD officers assigned to patrol. In addition, a determination was made as to whether the educational or academic status of the officer mediates or assists in interpreting the relationship between education level, probationary performance, and professional attitudes. Using multivariate statistical results of weighted data from a systematic random sample of officers from the LAPD, an empirical model was developed from the six hypotheses tested. Secondary data analysis was conducted on responses from survey questionnaires completed and returned by 950 supervisory and nonsupervisory police officers employed by the LAPD in 1990; the current study consists of those officer respondents who were working on patrol at the time they completed the questionnaire. The study concludes that the overwhelming majority of research conducted over the past 20 years and reviewed in this study has shown that higher educational attainment by police officers does have some impact on their performance, values, and attitudes, primarily in a positive direction. Results of the LAPD study further substantiate these findings. 11 tables, 11 figures, and 238 references