NCJ Number
88900
Date Published
Unknown
Length
248 pages
Annotation
Questionnaires completed by 3,155 Ohio law enforcement officers are the basis of this report analyzing the officers' characteristics, tasks performed, physical activities, equipment, reports, and sources of information. Rural-urban and officer-supervisor differences are noted.
Abstract
The sample represented police agencies, sheriffs' offices, and special agencies in both urban and rural locales, but was restricted to officers that had served 1 to 7 years. The survey was conducted between November 1981 and February 1982, obtaining responses from 2,620 patrol officers and 535 supervisors. The report first presents a profile of the Ohio peace officer, noting that patrol officers almost exactly mirror actual census figures with regard to race, but that supervisors are consistently more likely to be both white and male than patrol officers. About 70 percent of the patrol officers were 25-34 years old, and most had completed some posthigh school studies. The profile also considers agency characteristics, mode of patrol, scope of duties, and attitudes toward jobs and job preparedness. Information is given on complaints encountered, incidents that require a response, equipment, and information sources upon which officers rely. A general discussion of the task analysis considers the following areas: administrative; arrest, search, and seizure; patrol functions; patrol contact; civil processes; community relations and crime prevention; criminal investigations; detention and custody procedures; emergency aid; court procedures; and traffic activities. The analysis of physical activity examines the frequency of routine physical activities, resistance encountered, and reactions of different officer subgroups to resistance. The report provides tables, a summary of patrol officers' and supervisors' responses to individual questionnaire items, and approximately 70 references.