NCJ Number
142882
Date Published
1993
Length
128 pages
Annotation
The nature and causes of police misconduct and other problem behavior among police officers are analyzed, and strategies are recommended for police management in the future to assure that the public receives professional police services delivered by motivated and capable police officers who are resistant to inclinations that may lead to dysfunction.
Abstract
Based on interviews and forecasts of trends and events, the analysis indicated that cynicism, alienation, anomie, and lack of ethics are among the causes of dysfunctional tendencies that emerge during the police officer's tenure. Law enforcement agencies have traditionally pursued a reactive approach to dealing with dysfunctional police officers, relying on citizen and internal complaints to identify such officers and responding by transferring them to unattractive assignments, providing retraining or counseling based on liability concerns, or terminating them. The failure to respond more effectively could result in greater challenges to traditional law enforcement, greater public interference in the operation of the police agency, and increasing liability and personnel costs. The proposed policy would involve early identification to conditions professionally determined to indicate emerging dysfunctional inclinations and would include the family in recognition that it is the police officer's main support group. Psychological testing and performance assessment every 2 years would be the two main elements of this policy. Figures, tables, and appended background information, notes, and 28 references