NCJ Number
37996
Date Published
1976
Length
86 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY ANALYZES THE OCCUPATIONAL EXPECTATIONS AND MOTIVES OF MINORITY GROUP POLICEMEN AND EXAMINES THEIR PERCEPTIONS TOWARD THE SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT'S RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION POLICIES AND PRACTICES.
Abstract
A 31 PERCENT RANDOM POPULATION SAMPLE OF BLACK AND BROWN POLICE OFFICERS WAS COMPARED WITH A GROUP OF POLICE APPLICANTS AND A GROUP OF FORMER POLICE OFFICERS. MINORITY GROUP EMPLOYEES OF THE SAN DIEGO FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE USED AS A CONTROL/COMPARISON GROUP. DATA WAS OBTAINED IN A 1970 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE. SURVEY FINDINGS REVEALED THAT MINORITY PERSONS WERE MOTIVATED TO JOIN A POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE JOB ITSELF, RATHER THAN FOR ECONOMIC BENEFIT, ALTHOUGH ONLY THE BROWN OFFICERS FELT THAT THEY HAD SOME SPECIAL VALUE TO THE DEPARTMENT. GENERALLY, POLICE RESPONDENTS FELT THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S RECRUITMENT AND INTAKE SYSTEM WAS 'FAIR' TOWARD MINORITY-GROUP PERSONS, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE SOMEWHAT CRITICAL OF THE ORAL INTERVIEW, PROBATION EVALUATION, AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT, THE WRITTEN EXAM. NEARLY HALF OF THE POLICE RESPONDENTS SAID THAT THEIR JOB HAD NOT TURNED OUT ACCORDING TO THEIR EXPECTATIONS, WITH RACISM CITED AS THE UNEXPECTED FACTOR. MOST INCUMBENT MINORITY OFFICERS HAD BEEN RECRUITED FROM 'BLUE COLLAR' JOBS. IN GENERAL, MINORITY PERSONS WERE MORE CRITICAL OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAN OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND BLACKS WERE MORE CRITICAL OF THEIR DEPARTMENT THAN BROWNS. THE FOURTEEN SPECIFIC STUDY FINDINGS ARE PRESENTED IN THE CONCLUSION ALONG WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EACH. THIS PAPER ALSO INCLUDES REVIEWS OF THE CUMULATIVE KNOWLEDGE OF POLICE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PRACTICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND OF PAST AND CONTEMPORARY STUDIES OF SAN DIEGO RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PRACTICES. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS A DISCUSSION OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN AND A COPY OF THE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE.