NCJ Number
73818
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1980) Pages: 46-60
Date Published
1980
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study of 389 police officers in five departments in the U.S. and Holland shows the value of attitudinal scales indicators of such organizational characteristics as departmental style and quality of leadership.
Abstract
The study focused on morale and attitudes of police officers serving at different ranks and in different departments. Data were gathered via an 18-item questionnaire which covered nearly every facet of police work. Questions concerned attitudes toward the department and its personnel policies, attitudes toward fellow officers, suspects and civilians, and attitudes toward the police work itself. Factor analysis was used to examine the data. Findings indicated that the detectives were better adjusted to their work than were both the patrol officers and the higher ranks; patrol officers were the least adjusted. Sharp differences regarding morale, professionalism, and general approach to police work were also found among the departments. The departments which experienced more crime pressure also encountered difficult morale problems, which form the basis for strong social cohesiveness and a punitive approach to suspects. The finding that the Dutch police were much less socially cohesive than the U.S. police could be attributed to differences in the national characteristics, however. Findings indicated that officers' attitudes related strongly to their age, rank, and years of service in rank, but they also related to departmental style, quality of leadership, and sociocultural context. Research on effects on police attitudes of specific leadership qualities and specific policies is needed. Tables and a list of nine references are included.