NCJ Number
59218
Date Published
1979
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A STUDY WHICH ATTEMPTED TO REINFORCE DEMOCRATIC VALUES ALREADY HELD BY POLICE OFFICERS AND TO CHANGE VALUES NOT IN CONFORMITY WITH A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY IS DESCRIBED.
Abstract
IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN SEVERAL STUDIES THAT SOON AFTER DESIRABLE CANDIDATES ENTER THE POLICE FORCE, THEY DEVELOP CYNICISM AND UNDEMOCRATIC ATTITUDES. THEREFORE, A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN AN ATTEMPT TO INCREASE THE IMPORTANCE THAT POLICE OFFICERS PLACED ON THE VALUE OF EQUALITY. RANDOMLY SELECTED OFFICERS, 221 FROM NEW YORK CITY AND 163 FROM THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA, WHO WERE ENROLLED IN THE POLICE SCIENCE CURRICULUM AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY AT FARMINGDALE, PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. TWO INSTRUMENTS WERE USED IN THE STUDY; THE ROKEACH TERMINAL VALUE SURVEY AND THE STOUFFER NONCONFORMIST TOLERANCE SCALE. THE VALUE SURVEY CONTAINED A SET OF 18 TERMINAL VALUES THAT SUBJECTS WERE TO RANK IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE; ALSO CONTAINED WERE A SET OF 18 INSTRUMENTAL, OR MEANS, VALUES SIMILARLY RANKED BY SUBJECTS. THE STOUFFER SCALE CONTAINED 15 QUESTIONNAIRE ITEMS, WITH 3 ITEMS IN EACH OF THE 5 SETS; RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS WERE YES, NO, OR DON'T KNOW. A SAMPLE QUESTION WAS, 'SHOULD AN ADMITTED COMMUNIST BE PUT IN JAIL OR NOT?' RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE TESTS HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY DEMONSTRATED BY RESEARCHERS. OFFICERS IN BOTH EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE THE TEST; COLLEGE STUDENTS WERE ALSO ASKED TO COMPLETE THE TEST FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES. ALTHOUGH POLICE OFFICERS COMPARED FAVORABLY WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC, 2 OF 16 WERE RATED AS INTOLERANT. THE SUBJECTS WERE THEN ASKED TO COMPARE THEIR OWN TOLERANCE RESPONSES WITH THOSE ON OTHER CHARTS; THE RESEARCHER COMMENTED THAT OFFICERS TESTING AS INTOLERANT WOULD BE RELATIVELY UNCONCERNED WITH OTHER PEOPLES' FREEDOM BUT WOULD CARE GREATLY ABOUT THEIR OWN. FINALLY, EACH PARTICIPANT WAS ASKED TO RATE THE DEGREE OF SATISFACTION HE FELT TOWARD HIS OWN RANKING OF EQUALITY. THE TESTING PROCEDURE WAS REPEATED 6 WEEKS LATER. COMPARISON OF THE DATA SHOWED THAT THE VALUES HELD BY POLICE OFFICERS COULD BE CHANGED BY CREATING DISSATISFACTION THROUGH EXPOSING OFFICERS TO INFORMATION ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT DIFFERS STRONGLY FROM THEIR CONCEPTS OF ONE WHO IS TOLERANT. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT OFFICER VALUES BECOME MORE POSITIVE WHEN THEY BECOME AWARE OF THE INCONSISTENCIES IN THEIR OWN VALUES AND BELIEFS. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (LWM)