NCJ Number
62473
Editor(s)
D M PETERSEN
Date Published
1979
Length
128 pages
Annotation
FACTORS AFFECTING POLICE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY ARE DISCUSSED, AND WAYS OF MEASURING POLICE OUTPUT ARE CONSIDERED IN THIS SERIES OF RESEARCH PAPERS.
Abstract
IN THE OPENING PRESENTATION, QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES ARE USED TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES ON SPECIFIC POLICE ATTITUDES. THE FINDING FROM A LITERATURE REVIEW THAT ATTITUDES ARE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS OF PATROL OFFICERS LEADS TO THE CONCLUSION THAT POLICE PERFORMANCE OR BEHAVIORAL MEASURES ARE THE PREFERRED DEPENDENT VARIABLES FOR EXAMINING THE RELEVANCE OF VARIOUS TYPES OF EDUCATION TO POLICING. A SECOND STUDY EXAMINES THE INTERACTION PATTERNS BETWEEN A CORRUPT MUNICIPAL POLITICAL CULTURE AND AN HONEST MUNICIPAL POLICE AGENCY THROUGH CASE STUDIES OF THE OAKLAND, CALIF., NEWBURG, N.Y., AND LOS ANGELES, CALIF., POLICE AGENCY - POLITICAL CULTURE INTERACTIONS DURING SELECTED PERIODS. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLICE CYNICISM AND WORK ALIENATION INITIALLY POSITED BY NIEDERHOFFER IS EXAMINED EMPIRICALLY, AND CATEGORIES ARE DETERMINED OF OFFICERS FOR WHICH CYNICISM AND WORK ALIENATION ARE SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED. USING POLICE RESPONSE TIME AS THE MEASURE OF PATROL SERVICE EQUITY AND EFFICIENCY, ONE PAPER PROPOSES A METHOD WHEREBY EQUITY AND EFFICIENCY ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY MAXIMIZED WITHIN GIVEN RESOURCE LIMITS. THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PER CAPITA NUMBER OF POLICE, THE CRIME RATE, AND VARIABLES CAUSALLY RELATED TO THE CRIME RATE ARE DETERMINED FOR 252 NORTHERN AND NORTHEASTERN SUBURBS, SHOWING A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN POLICE FORCE AND CRIME RATE INCREASE. A SIXTH STUDY PURSUES THIS SAME THEME USING THREE SEPARATE POLICE-RESOURCE DEPENDENT VARIABLES AND CRIME RATES REPORTED FROM THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS AND THE CENTRAL CITIES SAMPLE VICTIMIZATION SURVEYS. IN THE FINAL PAPER, AN INDEX IS DEVISED FOR MEASURING OVERALL POLICE OUTPUT REFLECTING DEGREE OF EFFICIENCY IN ACTUAL AND EXPECTED TASK PERFORMANCE. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA, FOOTNOTES, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED THROUGHOUT.