NCJ Number
54381
Date Published
1977
Length
510 pages
Annotation
A POLICE TASK ANALYSIS BASED ON A SURVEY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL IN OHIO IS PRESENTED, WITH A VIEW TO ESTABLISHING A FOUNDATION FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN POLICE EDUCATION.
Abstract
ALL 738 POLICE CHIEFS IN OHIO WERE CONTACTED. THE 346 AGENCIES THAT RESPONDED EMPLOYED 9,370 FULL-TIME OFFICERS, ALL OF WHOM WERE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE A SURVEY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPED BY A TASK FORCE OF THE OHIO COUNCIL ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE. THE 5,513 RESPONDING OFFICERS PROVIDED INFORMATION ON THEIR RANK, SIZE AND TYPE (COUNTY, CITY, VILLAGE, TOWNSHIP) OF EMPLOYING AGENCY, AND THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH THEY PERFORMED EACH OF 62 SPECIFIC TASKS. THE TASK DATA WERE ANALYZED TO DETERMINE ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BY RANK AND TYPE OF AGENCY IN THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH SPECIFIC TASKS ARE PERFORMED. THE FINDINGS POINT TO THE DIVERSITY OF THE POLICE FUNCTION IN OHIO. FOR SOME, BUT NOT ALL, OF THE TASKS ANALYZED, BOTH RANK AND AGENCY SIZE AND TYPE HAVE AN EFFECT ON FREQUENCY OF PERFORMANCE. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FROM AGENCY TO AGENCY IN THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH PATROL OFFICERS, CORPORALS, SERGEANTS, LIEUTENANTS, CAPTAINS, AND CHIEFS PERFORM CERTAIN TASKS. THE DIVERSITY IS GREATEST AMONG CHIEFS. SIX TASKS--SECURITY-ORIENTED AND TREATMENT-ORIENTED CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMS, AMBULANCE SERVICES, CIVIL DISTURBANCES, CRISIS INTERVENTION, AND CRIME LABORATORY SERVICES--WERE UNIFORMLY PERFORMED INFREQUENTLY OR NOT AT ALL REGARDLESS OF RANK OR AGENCY SIZE/TYPE. IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ARE DISCUSSED, AND DIRECTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ARE SUGGESTED. A REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON THE HISTORY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION AND ON THE NATURE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT CURRICULUMS, A COMPARISON OF FIVE STUDIES OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, A COPY OF THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT, SUPPORTING DATA AND DOCUMENTATION, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED.