Involuntary psychiatric admissions initiated by two US police departments: a descriptive analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Klimley ◽  
Bethany Broj ◽  
Brittany Plombon ◽  
Caroline Haskamp ◽  
Rachel Christopher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Correctional Facility ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Psychiatric Admission ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Psychiatric Admissions

Purpose Police officers are increasingly interacting with individuals with mental illnesses. Officers who encounter these persons have three choices: detain, arrest and transport to a correctional facility; resolve the situation informally; or initiate an involuntary psychiatric admission. The decision to place someone under an involuntary psychiatric admission is based on a variety of factors. This paper aims to collaborate with two metropolitan Police Departments in South Florida to explore individual and departmental factors that contribute to involuntary psychiatric admissions initiated by their officers. Design/methodology/approach This investigation examined 1,625 police reports of involuntary psychiatric admissions in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Descriptive statistics for the entire sample were computed, and percentages of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)-trained officers for both departments in each year were determined. Findings Results highlighted differences in rates of involuntary commitments, CIT-trained officers and associated variables (e.g. mental health diagnoses, substance use) between the two cities. Practical implications Implications of the findings, and directions that future research in this area might take, are discussed. Originality/value There is a dearth of literature pertaining to involuntary psychiatric admissions in general and factors specific to involuntary psychiatric admissions initiated by police. This paper adds preliminary findings and implications to this body of research.

Police cynicism in Serbia: prevalence, nature and associations with job satisfaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 659-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radomir Zekavica ◽  
Biljana Simeunovic-Patic ◽  
Phillippus J. Potgieter ◽  
Cornelis J. Roelofse
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Job Dissatisfaction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Length Of Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Education ◽  
Public Citizen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the first research on prevalence, nature and correlates of the police cynicism in Serbia, with particular attention to the associations of cynicism with job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a paper-based survey, and obtained from 472 police officers from five police departments across the country. For the purpose of measuring of organizational and work aspects of police cynicism a new developed 24 five-level Likert-type items scale was used. Findings The results show that cynicism is normally distributed. No statistically significant gender, education or police rank differences were identified, and the length of service does not appear to influence cynical attitudes significantly. Cynicism scores statistically significantly varied across police departments and predicted job dissatisfaction. The underlying four-factor structure of police cynicism was identified. The factors include: general organizational cynicism; cynicism toward police hierarchy/superiors; cynicism toward public/citizen cooperation; and cynicism toward modernization of policing in the crime control field. Research limitations/implications The generalizability of the sample is limited, giving that participants come from only five out of a total of 27 police departments in the country, while the female police officers and officers with education higher than high school were somewhat overrepresented. Originality/value This research provides some more evidence on the nature and determinants of police cynicism that might inspire future research in this important but under-researched area. It implies that the need to explore more deeply relations between police cynicism and stress, burnout and particularly contextual and departmental factors that might be influential to police cynicism. It might also incite future research on the internal structure of police cynicism.

Police officers’ role orientations

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 944-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinta M. Gau ◽  
Nicholas D. Paul
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Community Policing ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Order Maintenance ◽  
Role Orientations ◽  
Maintenance Activities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine police officers’ attitudes toward community policing and order maintenance, as well as the facets of the work environment that impact those attitudes. Design/methodology/approach Survey data come from a sample of officers in a mid-sized police department. Ordinary least squares regression modeling is used to examine community-policing, order-maintenance and law-enforcement role orientations. Findings Officers endorse community partnerships, but are less enthusiastic about order maintenance. They also display mid-level support for traditional law enforcement. Work–environment variables have inconsistent impacts across the three role orientations. Research limitations/implications This was a survey of attitudes in one department. Future research should examine officers’ involvement in community-policing and order-maintenance activities and any impediments to such activities. Practical implications The findings have implications for police leaders seeking to implement community policing and ensure street-level officers are carrying out partnership and order-maintenance activities. In particular, top management must foster a positive work environment and personally model commitment to policing innovations. Originality/value This paper adds to the currently sparse body of literature on officer attitudes toward community policing and order maintenance, and incorporates traditional law-enforcement attitudes as a point of contrast. This paper advances the scholarly understanding of police officers’ role orientations.

Police Officers’ and Victim Advocates’ Perceptions of the Lethality Assessment Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1023-1042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila B. Dutton ◽  
Tracy L. Tamborra ◽  
Meagan Pittman
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Preliminary Assessment ◽  
Online Surveys ◽  
Assessment Program ◽  
Victim Advocates ◽  
By Products

This study is a preliminary assessment of police officers’ and victim advocates’ experiences with and perceptions of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), a program involving the collaboration between police departments and domestic violence (DV) agencies designed to prevent fatal and serious DV. Participants included 168 officers from 22 police departments and 63 advocates from 10 DV agencies. Results from online surveys indicated that officers and advocates had favorable perceptions of one another. Officers found the LAP to be less effective as a tool to deal with DV cases than advocates. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that officers and advocates identified a number of positive by-products of the LAP, but officers cited more negative by-products than advocates. Recommendations for policy and future research are provided.

Green competencies: insights and recommendations from a systematic literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clement Cabral ◽  
Rajib Lochan Dhar
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Classification Framework ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Research Gap

PurposeThis study conceptualises the construct – green competencies. The concept is in the niche stage and needs further elaboration. Hence, to address the research gap, this study follows the steps proposed by Tranfield et al. (2003). The major part of the study comprises descriptive analysis and thematic analysis. Descriptive analysis of the selected 66 articles was examined with the classification framework, which contains year-wise distribution, journal-wise distribution, the focus of the concept, the economic sector, and dimensions of sustainable development. The paper conducts a thematic analysis of the following research questions. What are the green competencies and their conceptual definition? What are their dimensions?Design/methodology/approachThis paper applies a systematic literature review of green competencies literature, extends the state-of-the-art using the natural resource-based view, and discusses future research directions for academicians and practitioners.FindingsIn recent years, there was considerable interest in green competencies (GC), as reflected in the surge of articles published in this genre. This paper asserts that green competencies are a multidimensional construct comprised of green knowledge, green skills, green abilities, green attitudes, green behaviours, and green awareness.Originality/valueDespite the significance of green competencies, there has been a dearth of study to define the constructs and identify the dimensions. Hence, this study addresses the literature gap by conceptualisation and discusses dimensions of the construct.

Patrol Officer Job Satisfaction Scale (POJSS)

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 710-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hakan Can ◽  
William Holt ◽  
Helen M. Hendy
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Patrol Officer ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Patrol Officers ◽  
Satisfaction Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Usa

Purpose When patrol officers experience poor job satisfaction and make the decision to leave their profession, their departments face the cost of recruiting and training new officers. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new measure that could be used by police departments to identify specific dimensions of job satisfaction in their officers so that appropriate interventions could be made before officers reach the point of ending their employment. Design/methodology/approach To enhance widespread applicability of the new measure, the 221 study participants were from convenience samples of patrol officers in the USA and Turkey (95.9 percent male; mean age=29.4 years; mean service=5.9 years). Officers completed anonymous surveys to report individual and departmental demographics, to give satisfaction ratings for a variety of aspects of their work environment, and to report other psychosocial variables that might be used to assess validity of job satisfaction dimensions. Findings Exploratory factor analysis produced the 14-item Patrol Officer Job Satisfaction Scale (POJSS) with three dimensions: supervisor fairness, peer comradery, occupational pride. The three POJSS dimensions showed acceptable goodness-of-fit, internal reliability, and test-retest reliability. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated no significant associations between nine individual and department demographics (gender, age, marital status, education, service years, weekly work hours, nation, city location, number of officers) and any of the three POJSS dimensions. Research limitations/implications One limitation of the present study was that it included only convenience samples of patrol officers from the USA and Turkey. Future research could conduct confirmatory factor analyses on more diverse and representative samples of patrol officers from various international locations to determine if they also perceive the same three POJSS dimensions of job satisfaction (supervisor fairness, peer comradery, occupational pride). Practical implications Police departments could use the POJSS as an assessment tool to identify any problems of poor job satisfaction in their patrol officers so they could provide targeted improvements. For example, if patrol officers report low ratings for supportive peers, some scholars have recommended the formation of officer support groups (Johnson, 2012; Pienaar et al., 2007; Rhoades and Eisenberger, 2002; Scott, 2004; Stamper and Johlke, 2003; Toch, 2002; Walker et al., 2006). Social implications If patrol officers report low ratings for supervisor fairness, peer comradery, and occupational pride, police departments could arrange leadership seminars, hold “Clear the Air” meetings or anonymous surveys to allow patrol officers to identify specific improvements they suggest to improve these components of job satisfaction. Originality/value Research on police officer job satisfaction has been increasing in recent decades, but is still relatively sparse when compared to the study of employee job satisfaction in the private sector and other areas of government. Recent research on police job satisfaction has typically included law enforcement officers with a wide range of ranks, rather than focusing solely on patrol officers. Also, the few studies that focus on job satisfaction in patrol officers used either secondary data (Ingram and Lee, 2015) or re-evaluated data over eight-year old (Johnson, 2012). Especially with the recent turbulent events seen between community members and their front-line police officers (including in the USA and Turkey), available research may have missed the most important dimensions of job satisfaction for present patrol officers supporting the measure's widespread relevance.

Customer acceptance of ride-hailing in Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Nabil Almunawar ◽  
Muhammad Anshari ◽  
Syamimi Ariff Lim
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Adoption Studies ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Broadband Wireless ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Acceptance ◽  
Use Of Technology

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the enabling factors and the customers’ acceptance of ride-hailing in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopt some constructs from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) 2 as the framework for the study to derive factors that influence the acceptance of ride-hailing in Indonesia. Samples through a convenience sampling method were collected from an online survey and were transformed into data through coding and subsequently processed using SPSS for descriptive analysis, reliability test, correlation and multiple regression analysis for hypothesis testing. Findings Ride-hailing started in 2015 in Indonesia. Five enabling factors make digital ride-hailing possible, the internet, smartphone, broadband wireless network, digital map and global positioning system. The authors found that performance expectancy, social influence and habit positively influence customers to accept ride-hailing in Indonesia. Research limitations/implications Although this research has a small sample, it is still relevant to understand people’s acceptance to the ride-hailing platform. As a ride-hailing platform is now transformed to a multisided markets platform, adoption studies or other studies on each market to cover the whole picture of the platform influence to the society, and its contribution to the national economy will be very interesting. The authors’ future research will cover various services covered by ride-hailing companies. Originality/value This study proposes and argues that four main enabling factors make digital ride-hailing a viable business. The study contributes to three significant factors that influence the acceptance of ride-hailing in Indonesia.

Application level of lean construction techniques in reducing accidents in construction projects

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-293
Author(s):  
Adnan Enshassi ◽  
Nour Saleh ◽  
Sherif Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Lean Construction ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Accident Investigation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Companies

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the application of lean construction (LC) techniques in reducing accidents in construction projects. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was used to collect the required data using a questionnaire survey and descriptive analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The LC techniques that were investigated in this paper are related to the tools of the last planner system (LPS), increased visualisation (IV), 5S, error-proofing, daily huddle meetings (DHMs), first-run studies (FRS), continuous improvement (Kaizen) and accident investigation (5Whys). Findings The overall results indicated that LC techniques are poorly implemented in construction projects in the Gaza Strip. The top three LC tools used to reduce the causes of accidents in the Gaza construction projects were 5Whys, 5S and LPS, while the highest three LC techniques applied to reduce the causes of accidents that were applicable were cleaning the workplace and removing materials and machines that are not required; conducting accident investigation and root cause analysis programmes; and using safety signs and labels on site. Research limitations/implications There is a lack of information and published studies regarding the links between LC and safety, especially in the Middle East. This paper is limited to the perceptions and geographical boundaries; therefore, it cannot be generalised. However, it could form the basis for useful comparison in the future. Triangulation research method could also be used in future research to minimise the bias and validate the conclusions. Practical implications The findings of this paper will stress professionals and construction companies in Gaza to reconsider their behaviour towards using LC techniques. The findings of this paper will aid them to shift their attention and resources towards including LC techniques in their plans to reduce the causes of accidents on construction sites. Social implications The findings of this paper will encourage professionals and construction companies in Gaza to reconsider their behaviour towards using LC techniques. The findings will also aid them to shift their attention and resources towards including LC techniques in their plans to reduce and/or avoid the causes of accidents on construction. Originality/value Because of the lack of published works that are specific to the Middle East, the authors believe that the originality lies in the paper’s serious attempt to explore the application level of the LC concept to safety in this part of the world. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the applicability of LC techniques in terms of accidents reduction. Findings from this paper provide a clear picture of the current status of using LC techniques to reduce accidents in the Gazan construction projects which drive them to investigate the main barriers and try to overcome them.

scholarly journals Policing “uncontrollable banshees”: factors influencing arrest decision making

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Young
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Training ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Police Decision Making ◽  
Arrest Decision ◽  
Determining Factor

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence police officers’ decision making when dealing with young women considered violent. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were carried out with frontline police officers in Scotland on their experiences of responding to incidents where young women displayed violence. Findings – The police officers clearly distinguished encounters with women using violence from those with young men, portraying young women as irrational, unpredictable and uncontrollable. The research found that while gender alone was not a determining factor for arrest, police officers did stereotype young women according to gender norms and these norms could have a bearing on decision making. The findings show that police officers prefer to respond to situations with male perpetrators due to their own difficulties effectively communicating with young women, who are often under the influence of alcohol. Research limitations/implications – The research indicates that police officers, regardless of their gender, have difficulties handling violent incidents that involve young women. This provides scope for further analysis of police training to ascertain whether sufficient guidance is provided to fully equip police officers when faced with aggressive young women. This study focused on police officers’ own views and experiences but future research could consider a more ethnographic approach to observe police decision making in practice to determine whether the stereotypes portrayed were a true reflection of their experiences. Originality/value – This is one of only a very few studies that has explored the relation between gender and arrest decision making. It enhances the understanding of how young women come to be arrested and indicates how police officers are currently ill equipped to effectively respond to young women considered violent.

The prevalence and content of police discipline matrices

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 788-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Harris ◽  
Kristen Chierus ◽  
Timothy C. Edson
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the prevalence of the use of discipline matrices across large US police departments, as well as to compare the structure and content of such matrices. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a two phase approach. Phase I consisted of a brief online survey of a stratified, random sample of police departments with 100 or more sworn police officers and asked about whether or not the agency employed a discipline matrix. Phase II consisted of requesting a copy of the matrix and corresponding materials from all agencies who indicated they employed a matrix, and analyzing the content of those matrices. Findings – In total, 37 percent of responding agencies said they are using or are planning a discipline matrix, and the authors obtained a matrix from 32 police departments. The structure of the matrices and recommended discipline varied widely across these departments, indicating a lack of consensus on the development of this relatively new accountability tool. Research limitations/implications – The survey focussed on large police departments and the response rate was somewhat lower than other past national surveys. Practical implications – Discipline matrices are employed to a greater extent than is implied by the current research literature. The lack of consensus and variability in policies around matrices indicates a need for more research which could contribute toward the formation of a model policy in this regard. Originality/value – To date the prevalence of discipline matrices across US police departments was unknown, and very little was known about how they were structured or what comprised their content.

scholarly journals Transitioning from pandemic to normalcy: what police departments can learn from the rank-and-file

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janne E. Gaub ◽  
Marthinus C. Koen ◽  
Shelby Davis
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coding Schemes ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Police Executives ◽  
Police Personnel

PurposeAfter more than 18 months of life during a pandemic, much of the world is beginning to transition back to some semblance of normalcy. As that happens, institutions – including policing – need to acknowledge changes that had been made during the pandemic and decide what modifications and innovations, if any, to continue moving forward.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use semi-structured interviews and focus groups of police personnel in the United States (US) and Canada. The sample includes police officers and frontline supervisors (n = 20). The authors conduct qualitative analysis using deductive and inductive coding schemes.FindingsThe sample identified four areas of adaptation during the pandemic: 1) safety measures, 2) personnel reallocation, 3) impacts on training and 4) innovation and role adjustments. These areas of adaptation prompted several recommendations for transitioning police agencies out of the pandemic.Originality/valueA growing number of studies are addressing police responses to the pandemic. Virtually all are quantitative in nature, including all studies investigating the perceptions of police personnel. The body of perceptual studies is extraordinarily small and primarily focuses on police executives, ignoring the views of the rank-and-file who are doing the work of street-level police business. This is the first study to delve into the perceptions of this group, and does so using a qualitative approach that permits a richer understanding of the nuances of perception.

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