NCJ Number
66457
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: (WINTER 1980) Pages: 46-54
Date Published
1980
Length
9 pages
Annotation
A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON POLICE SUBCULTURE IS PRESENTED AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF POLICE SUBCULTURE ANALYZED AS WELL AS THE SUBCULTURE'S IMPACT ON POLICY DECISIONS.
Abstract
RECENT RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS THAT ADDRESS THE POLICE SUBCULTURE WERE ANALYZED. AS DESCRIBED IN THE LITERATURE, THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF THE SUBCULTURE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR DIMENSIONS--OCCUPATIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL. THE OCCUPATIONAL DIMENSION CONSIDERS UNIQUE JOB-RELATED FACTORS THAT AFFECT POLICE OFFICERS INCLUDING ISOLATIONISM, SOLIDARITY, BOREDOM, ANXIETY, DECISIONAL TRAUMA, AND THE NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF CITIZENS. VARIABLES OF DANGER AND AUTHORITY ARE SEEN AS FUNDAMENTAL TO A POLICEMAN'S WORKING PERSONALITY AND THE POLICEMAN'S OCCUPATIONAL ROLE IS DEFINED AS UNIQUE. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSION CONCERNS POLICE IDENTITY AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT AND THE TRAIT MOST OFTEN MENTIONED IS AUTHORITARIANISM ALONG WITH AGGRESSION, STEREOTYPY, POWER, DESTRUCTIVENESS, AND CONVENTIONALISM. SOME RESEARCHERS NEGATE THIS FINDING, SAYING THERE IS NO TYPICAL POLICE PERSONALITY. THE POLITICAL DIMENSION SUGGESTS THAT POLITICS ARE A FACTOR IN POLICE SUBCULTURE BECAUSE OF THE STYLE OF POLICING ENCOURAGED THROUGH THE ENFORCEMENT OF RULE, REGULATIONS, AND POLICIES AND THROUGH THE ENFORCEMENT OF RULE, REGULATIONS, AND POLICIES AND THROUGH DISCRETION. THE SOCIAL DIMENSION INCLUDES THE CULTIVATION OF POLICE SOLIDARITY AND TYPE OF COMMUNITY WHERE THE POLICEMAN WORKS. POLICE ARE SEEN AS MIRRORIING THE COMMUNITY--IN VIOLENCE AS IN OTHER TRAITS. IDENTITY OF SUBCULTURAL TRAITS AND THEIR IMPACT SHOULD BE VIEWED FROM A JURISDICTIONAL RATHER THAN A JURISDICTIONAL RATHER THAN A UNIVERSALISTIC VIEWPOINT. THE POLICE SUBCULTURE DOES HAVE A DELETERIOUS EFFECT ON POLICE-CITIZEN RELATIONS AND HELPS TO PERPETUATE AND MAINTAIN THE NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS THAT EXIST BETWEEN POLICE AND CITIZENS. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GIVEN INCLUDING COMMITMENT TO A MORE OPEN SYSTEM POLICE ORGANIZATION; A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF THE OFFICER IN POLICING THE COMMUNITY; EMPHASIS AT TRAINING ACADEMIES ON THE POLICE SUBCULTURE; RECOGNITION OF INTEGRITY AND ETHICAL STANDRDS IN POLICE WORK; AND A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENT SUPERVISION. REFERENCES ARE CITED. (MJW)