NCJ Number
183360
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 28 Issue: 3 Dated: May/June 2000 Pages: 215-226
Date Published
2000
Length
12 pages
Annotation
In investigating whether community relations aspects of police training are addressing community recreation issues as they relate to juvenile crime prevention, this study focused on how police are trained in the area of human relations.
Abstract
The increase in the occurrence of juvenile crime has become a major concern for most communities throughout the United States. As a result, law enforcement efforts have intensified, bringing the police into daily contact with juveniles. In examining whether this interaction between police and juveniles has prevented delinquent behaviors, this study addressed police involvement in the creation of recreational opportunities for youth. A total of 525 police academy training administrators were selected through a stratified random sampling process. A validated questionnaire, the results of a Delphi, was administered to the subjects to elicit information on the importance given to 22 competencies in the area of police training in community relations. A total of 232 respondents (44.2-percent response) were used in the data analysis. Findings show that priority in human relations training is given to traditional law enforcement procedures, i.e., those skills necessary to conduct crime intervention at the crisis point. The community policing process that focuses on preventive intervention with youth, notably through recreational opportunities, had a lower priority. Both the training of recreation specialists and police should give priority to how these two professions can cooperate to foster youth development that prevents delinquency. 4 tables, appended questionnaire, and 43 references