NCJ Number
208476
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2005 Pages: 89-95
Editor(s)
Kent B. Joscelyn
Date Published
January 2005
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the effects of computer technology on community policing in the United States and validated the Technology Acceptance Model used for identifying the factors contributing to user acceptance of technology.
Abstract
One of the greatest influences on police practices has been information technology. This technology has reduced time spent at the police station writing reports and assessing crime information databases and increased police presence in the community. However, police officers might be reluctant to accept or embrace new technology if it disrupts established patterns of social organization. This study was part of a larger project that evaluated the effects of computer technology and validated the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed in 1989 and used to explain why police officers embrace or reject new computer technology. Data were collected from 430 police officers assigned to patrol cars and responsible for patrolling a specific sector of the city. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were used to test the goodness-of-fit between the obtained data and the hypothesized structure of the TAM. The findings provided a foundation for a basic theoretical model to explain why patrol officers embraced or rejected technology. General TAM findings were supported suggesting that patrol officer acceptance of new technology would be facilitated by increasing its ease of use and usefulness. A strategy for even greater acceptance was suggested that would be achieved by considering the timeliness and quality of information provided by new technology. Tables and references