NCJ Number
35919
Journal
POLICE LAW QUARTERLY Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (JULY 1976) Pages: 14-30
Date Published
1976
Length
17 pages
Annotation
REPORT ON THE RESULTS OF A STUDY WHICH CONSIDERED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY SIZE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE AND THE POLICE ROLE.
Abstract
IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT AS COMMUNITY SIZE INCREASES, ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE WOULD BE MORE NEGATIVE AND THE DESIRE FOR A CRIME-CONTROL POLICE ROLE WOULD INCREASE. ALL COMMUNITIES IN MINNESOTA'S SEVEN COUNTY NORTHEASTERN PLANNING REGION WERE BROKEN DOWN INTO THREE CATEGORIES: LARGE, MEDIUM, AND SMALL. ATTITUDE QUESTIONNAIRES WERE THEN MAILED TO A ONE PERCENT RANDOM SAMPLING OF THE TOTAL POPULATION OF EACH CATEGORY. CONTRARY TO THE HYPOTHESIS, IT WAS FOUND THAT ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE WERE MOST NEGATIVE IN THE RURAL COMMUNITY CATEGORY AND MOST POSITIVE IN THE LARGE COMMUNITY CATEGORY. WHEN OCCUPATION WAS CONTROLLED, ATTITUDES BECAME MORE POSITIVE AS COMMUNITY SIZE INCREASED IN THE UNSKILLED, FARMING, AND UNEMPLOYED CATEGORIES. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE ROLE AND COMMUNITY SIZE. HOWEVER, WHEN OCCUPATION WAS CONTROLLED, CITIZENS EXPRESSED A DESIRE FOR HUMAN RELATIONS ORIENTED POLICE AS COMMUNITY SIZE DECREASED, PARTICULARLY IN THE PROFESSIONAL AND SEMI-PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.