NCJ Number
31049
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 3 Issue: 4 Dated: (DECEMBER 1975) Pages: 434-438
Date Published
1975
Length
5 pages
Annotation
THE PERFORMANCE OF 16 POLICEWOMEN AND 16 POLICEMEN IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY WERE COMPARED IN ORDER TO EVALUATE POLICEWOMEN'S EFFECTIVENESS IN A SUBURBAN, ONE-PERSON MOTOR PATROL POLICING ENVIRONMENT.
Abstract
TWO PREVIOUS STUDIES, BASED IN WASHINGTON D.C. AND NEW YORK CITY, HAVE ALREADY EVALUATED POLICEWOMEN'S PERFORMANCE IN THE URBAN SETTING. THE ST. LOUIS COUNTY EVALUATION WAS UNDERTAKEN TO EXTEND FINDINGS OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES TO THE SUBURBAN SETTING. MATCHED SAMPLES OF 16 WOMEN AND 16 MALE OFFICERS WERE COMPARED, USING DATA FROM THE FOLLOWING SIX SOURCES: FIELD OBSERVATIONS BY PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS, CITIZEN INTERVIEWS TO DETERMINE CITIZEN SATISFACTION, POLICE DEPARTMENT ATTITUDE SURVEYS, DEPARTMENTAL PERFORMANCE RATINGS, REVIEW OF POLICE RECORDS, AND INTERVIEWS WITH COMMAND PERSONNEL AND MALE AND FEMALE OFFICERS. IN GENERAL, THE RESULTS FROM ST. LOUIS COUNTY PARALLELED THOSE OF WASHINGTON D.C. AND NEW YORK - THE WOMEN WERE FOUND TO PERFORM POLICE PATROL DUTIES EQUALLY AS WELL AS MEN. WHILE THE WOMEN EXHIBITED A LESS AGGRESSIVE PATROL STYLE AND MADE FEWER ARRESTS, THEY WERE EQUALLY EFFECTIVE IN MANAGING DISTRAUGHT AND ANGRY CITIZENS AND RECEIVED HIGH RATINGS BY CITIZENS ON THEIR SENSITIVITY TO HUMAN NEEDS. SOME SPECIFIC FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY ARE REVIEWED, AND THE AUTHOR SPECULATES ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS.