NCJ Number
217119
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 22 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 286-302
Date Published
November 2006
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined how the characteristics of a class of police recruits in Mexico City is likely to influence prospects for the success of Mexico's community-based police reforms.
Abstract
Like their counterparts in the United States (based on a similar study conducted in Oregon), police recruits in Mexico City ranked freedom higher than equality. This supports the contention that there may be a certain type of person, i.e., a conservative person, who wants to be a police officer. Other similarities between the Oregon and Mexico City police recruits included higher rankings for values such as family security and health and consistently low rankings for such values as world of beauty and pleasures. This suggests that police are oriented toward maintenance of the status quo rather than advocacy for social change. Since the values brought to policing by the pool of recruits is not likely to change, police leaders who embrace the values of community policing must ensure that training programs effectively modify officers' values to reflect the values of community policing. The study data were obtained from a cohort of Mexican police recruits of the class of 1998-2001, who were surveyed while undergoing pre-academy background investigations. They were administered the Values Survey, which consists of 2 separate lists of 18 value statements. One list focuses on modes of behavior, and the second list addresses larger societal goals, including equality and freedom. The study focused on the latter list. 5 tables, 8 notes, 47 references, and appended Spanish version of the Vales Survey