Employing Civilians for Police Work

• NCJ Number: 148816
• Author(s): A I Schwartz; A M Vaughn; J D Waller; J S Wholey
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 66 pages
• Grant Number(s): 73-TA-99-1007
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: The Urban Institute
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report describes the experiences of 13 police departments of varying size in their use of civilians in jobs normally preferred by police officers. Data were obtained from interviews with 158 police managers, supervisors of civilian police employees, and civilian employees.

Abstract

This report presents major findings, successful and unsuccessful efforts in employing civilians, and guidelines and decision factors in using civilians. The study showed that use of civilians freed uniformed officers for more critical duties and that police managers generally approved of their performance. While pay and training costs were lower for civilians than for uniformed officers, the flip side of these cost savings was complaints of low pay and inadequate training. The CSO program, which most often used young men as cadets or community aides, was the most successful type of program, but its continuation depended on cities' budgetary priorities. 7 tables, 6 notes, and 3 appendixes