NCJ Number
105149
Date Published
1987
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The Crime Prevention Assistance (CPA) Program of the Los Angeles Police Department was established to increase the number of women who would successfully complete police academy training and enter field patrol assignments.
Abstract
The CPA program identified a number of significant psychological issues and stressors facing the female police recruit. These included perceptions held by male officers of women in nontraditional roles, assertiveness, the physical and mental pressures of the quasi-military training experience, romanticized expectations of the job, role conflict, lack of support systems both on and off the job, large physical demands, and coping with stress. To help female recruits deal with this issue, the CPA program provided weekly instruction in physical training, English remediation, career role development, stress management, and police work assignments. An assessment of the program's impact on 36 female officers indicated that these women had positive feelings toward the organization, were satisfied with work-related supports, maintained high self-esteem, and were able to establish good relations with authority figures. Future program efforts will focus on assessment of assertive behavior, use of role models by female officers, and the establishment of successful working relationships between male and female partner teams. 23 references.