NCJ Number
153087
Date Published
1994
Length
154 pages
Annotation
Police officers' attitudes toward community policing were assessed by means of a survey of 775 police officers in the Austin Police Department in Texas.
Abstract
Responses came from 548 police officers. Findings revealed that rank and education were two factors with significant effects on whether police officers responded favorably or unfavorably to community policing. Police officers with at least a college degree responded more favorably than did police officers without a college degree. Officers who had progressed upward in rank were also more likely than other officers to respond favorably. Factors without a significant relationship to attitudes were age, gender, race/ethnicity, and years of service as a sworn officer. Findings suggested that community policing must be understood as a process and not a program; it is a way of defining the characteristics and approaches a police agency need to meet communities' changing needs. Figures, appended methodological information and additional results, and 61 references (Author abstract modified)