Attitudes toward women in policing

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris C. Chu ◽  
Chang-Chi Tsao
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Work ◽  
Attitudes Toward Women ◽  
Patrol Officers ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Integration ◽  
Physical Strength ◽  
Physical Skills ◽  
Rule Out

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare Taiwanese male and female cadets’ attitudes toward women in policing. Specifically, this study assesses whether female and male recruits differ in: their assessment of women in policing; and their preferred roles of women in policing. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were conducted with 438 cadets (229 males and 209 females) who received recruitment training at the Taiwan Police College in 2011. This methodology provided a rich sample to explore police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing. Findings – Although male cadets had reservations about females’ capability and physical strength in handling certain aspects of police work, they supported women being assigned to equal or similar duties as men upon entry into the police force. Compared to male cadets, female cadets were more likely to perceive females as being competent as males and thus adequate for police work. Nevertheless, female cadets were reluctant to embrace women's integration into police work, which might require them to perform duties similar to or the same as those of men, such as patrol. Research limitations/implications – It should be noted that the survey in the current study was conducted while recruits were going through training at the police college. The authors cannot rule out the possibility that surveys conducting under this type of circumstances may result in socially desirable responses. Future study should include surveys with cadets at different stages of their training (before, between, and at the end of the training) to further examine if the levels of recruits’ receptiveness to gender integration change over time. Practical implications – This finding highlights the importance of equipping female recruits with mental preparation and physical skills. The training at the academy should prepare cadets with the required skills to serve as patrol officers to boost their confidence. Equally important is to provide suitable training to help cadets raise stress awareness and develop coping mechanisms. Originality/value – Most studies conducted in the past have mainly focussed on police officers’ perceptions of women in policing. Only a handful of studies examine future police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing, and most of these studies are conducted in western countries. A better understanding of police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing in a non-western cultural setting can provide insight into theoretical and policy perspectives related to these issues.

Officers’ views on women in policing

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 734-748
Author(s):  
Doris C. Chu
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Work ◽  
Attitudes Toward Women ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Police Organizations ◽  
Women's Role ◽  
Female Officers ◽  
Cross National

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how receptive police officers are to having women as partners and supervisors at work in a cross-national context. Specifically, it compares male and female police officers’ views on women in policing along three dimensions in Dubai and Taipei: perceived efficacy of women in policing; receptiveness of women at work (as partners and supervisor); and perceived women’s role in police work.Design/methodology/approachSurveys (with the same instrument) were conducted with 622 officers (344 male and 278 female officers) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and 391 officers (297 male and 94 female officers) in Taipei, Taiwan. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to compare male and female officers’ views on women in policing in both countries.FindingsIt was found that female officers (in Dubai and Taipei) were more likely than their male colleagues to see women as capable and effective in performing police duties. Compared to their colleagues in Taiwan, the Emirati male and female officers were more likely to be supportive of women’s restricted role in policing. Dubai male officers were less likely to be receptive to working at a unit with a female as their supervisor in comparison to their female colleagues in both countries.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this study provides important information from a cross-national perspective, caution should be taken while interpreting these findings. The gender roles embedded in Islamic cultures seem to explain Dubai officers’ favorable attitudes toward women’s restricted role in policing. Future studies should incorporate in-depth interviews to explain why officers in Dubai prefer women’s restricted roles in policing.Practical implicationsThe statistical analyses show that officers with higher levels of confidence not only held more positive attitudes toward women in policing, but also were more receptive to having women as their partners and supervisors. It suggests that confident officers would be more open-minded and welcome the entry of women into police work. By offering training courses that enhance officers’ work confidence, police organizations in both countries might well cultivate a welcoming work environment for women.Social implicationsIf police organizations in Taiwan and the UAE instill cultures with an emphasis less on masculine traits than on collaborative style, male officers might free themselves from traditional gender norms and become more welcoming to women who work in policing.Originality/valuePrevious scholarly efforts on examining different areas of women in policing have mainly focused on police officers in western countries, leaving a relative scarcity of information about how officers perceive women’s role in policing in the other parts of the globe. Female officers have to work hand in hand with male officers in policing. To enhance the efficiency of deployment and cohesion of work relationship among male and female officers, it is important to understand how male officers perceive women’s roles in policing and how receptive they are to having women as partners. Understanding their perceptions from both sides can help administrations initiate effective training and educational programs.

scholarly journals Seeing Police: Cinematic Training and the Scripting of Police Vision

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 367-381
Author(s):  
Christina Aushana
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Training ◽  
Police Academy ◽  
Patrol Officers ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Visual Texts ◽  
Training Materials ◽  
Praxis I ◽  
Critical Insight ◽  
Ethnographic Analysis

While contemporary ethnographies on policing describe the use of televisual and cinematic images as ancillary police training materials (Manning 2003; Moskos 2008), few studies have examined how these visual texts shape the practice of patrol work. One of my primary aims as an ethnographer is to find different ways of understanding everyday policing by bringing the materials that construct officers’ visual worlds under ethnographic analysis. These materials include cinematic images used in police academies to teach police recruits how to see like police officers. Attending to cinema’s mobility in training facilities where trainees learn how to screen situations, bodies, and encounters in the field can offer new insights into understanding police vision. I proceed with the knowledge that Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 film Training Day has been screened in San Diego’s police academy. While Training Day reproduces the kinds of visual practices that are part and parcel of policing praxis, I argue that an ethnographic reading of the film offers critical insight into what happens when an idealized police vision “meets the ground” in practice. I explore the productive tension between cinematic models like Training Day and everyday patrol work through an analysis of the “precarious cinema” of policing, a concept I use to understand how police officers’ engagements with Training Day reflect and reveal a mode of police vision that is often blind to the experiences of the policed, and the performance of ethnography as a visual profiling practice that offers new conceptual frames for approaching how these blinds spots manifest in the visual worlds of patrol officers. In a time when police violence and police brutality are invariably subject to the camera’s scrutiny and a scrutinizing public, the political stakes for an increasingly visible police vision include contending with, accounting for, and being answerable to its own visibility.

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.

Organizational cynicism in policing

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Enciso ◽  
Jon Maskaly ◽  
Christopher M. Donner
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Cynicism ◽  
Curve Modeling ◽  
National Police ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine organizational cynicism (OC) among new police officers. Specifically, this paper investigates what factors are predictive of baseline levels of OC among police recruits and the growth of cynicism over time in these young officers. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study are drawn from Phase I of the National Police Research Platform. Latent growth curve modeling is used to analyze data on 760 police recruits across five geographically diverse training academies within three distinct time periods (first day of academy, just before graduation, and six months post-graduation) to assess the development of OC in new police officers. Findings Several variables, including gender, race, and relations in policing exerted significant effects on a baseline level of OC and on growth in cynicism over time. Practical implications OC is an important topic for police administrators. Cynicism among employees can lead to undesirable organizational outcomes such as low job morale and satisfaction. Thus, it is important for police administrators to better understand the development and growth of OC in its personnel, particularly in new police officers. Originality/value This study builds on previous research and investigates an understudied topic in the literature by assessing the development and growth of OC among new police officers.

The development of moral reasoning skills in police recruits

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelies De Schrijver ◽  
Jeroen Maesschalck
Keyword(s):  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Police Culture ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reasoning Skills ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Police officers are frequently confronted with moral dilemmas in the course of their job. The authors assume new police officers need guidance, and need to be taught at the police academy how to deal with these situations. The purpose of this paper is to obtain insight into the impact of socialization on police recruits’ knowledge of the code of ethics and their moral reasoning skills. Design/methodology/approach – The study applied a longitudinal mixed methods design, using two methods. The first method was a qualitative observation of integrity training sessions at five police academies in Belgium. The second method was a quantitative survey-measurement of recruits’ knowledge of the code of ethics and their moral reasoning skills at three points in time: the beginning of their theoretical training, before their field training and afterwards. Findings – The analyses show differences between the police academies in their integrity training sessions. Some of these differences are reflected in different levels of knowledge of the code of ethics. As for the development pattern of recruits’ moral reasoning skills, the study found almost no differences between the academies. Perhaps this is because recruits already have relatively high scores when they start, leaving little room for improvement during the one year training program. This suggests an important role of the police selection procedure. Originality/value – Previous research on socialization and police culture has focussed on recruits being socialized in a negative police culture where misconduct is learned. This is a negative interpretation of police integrity. A positive one refers to ethical decision making generally, and moral reasoning specifically. The impact of the socialization process on recruits’ moral reasoning is empirically understudied.

Social support and work engagement in police work

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1022-1037
Author(s):  
Christine Wolter ◽  
Andreas Santa Maria ◽  
Burkhard Gusy ◽  
Tino Lesener ◽  
Dieter Kleiber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Police Work ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Motivational Process ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Job resources are positively related to work engagement within the motivational process of the job demands–resources model (JD–R). Little is known about mediating mechanisms within that process. The purpose of this paper is to examine self-efficacy and work–privacy conflict as mediators of the relationship between social support and work engagement in a sample of police officers. Design/methodology/approach In total, 811 German police officers completed a cross-sectional online survey that assessed social support by supervisors and co-workers, work–privacy conflict, self-efficacy and work engagement. Structural equation modeling was conducted. Findings Self-efficacy and work–privacy conflict partially mediated the relationship between social support and work engagement. The direct effect of social support and work engagement was confirmed, too. Practical implications Health promotion approaches in police work should foster social support by supervisors and co-workers. Social support eases challenges of work–life balance and self-efficacy and promotes police officers’ work engagement. Originality/value The findings validate the motivational process of the JD-R model in a sample of police officers. Job resources and personal resources are interrelated in the prediction of work engagement. Moreover, job resources facilitate dealing with specific job demands, which promotes work engagement, too.

Police selection – implications during training and early career

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Annell ◽  
Petra Lindfors ◽  
Magnus Sverke
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Cognitive Tests ◽  
Selection Methods ◽  
Police Selection ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Personality Inventories ◽  
Academy Training

Purpose – The cost of selecting and training new police officers is high. However, previous research has provided limited guidance on how to select the best applicants. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the possibilities to select suitable applicants by using combinations of four common categories of selection methods, namely cognitive tests, personality inventories, physical tests, and rater-based methods (i.e. interviews). Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of Swedish police recruits (n=750) the authors performed hierarchical multiple regression analyses, predicting four criteria – performance, satisfaction, retention, and health – at three consecutive time points (after two years of academy training, after six months of field training, and after the first work year). Findings – No group of selection methods consistently predicted all four criteria at the three time points. In most analyses more than one class of selection methods were statistically significant, but the findings did not support the use of rater-based methods. Practical implications – Instead of the common praxis of using interviews, the findings suggest an alternative praxis. This involves using the remaining information from cognitive tests, personality inventories, and general fitness tests that had been used in earlier hurdles to screen out unsuitable applicants. Originality/value – The study extends previous research by including several follow-ups, showing the value of combining different selection methods, and using alternative criteria of successful police recruitment (i.e. satisfaction, retention, and health).

scholarly journals Female attrition from the police profession

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-389
Author(s):  
Andreea I. Alecu ◽  
Silje Bringsrud Fekjær
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Police Culture ◽  
Numerical Representation ◽  
Exact Matching ◽  
Family Obligations ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representation Of Women

PurposeDo female police recruits drop out of police education and/or leave the profession more often than men, and has this changed over time? Can gender differences be explained by the background characteristics and family obligations of the recruits?Design/methodology/approachThis paper employs administrative registry data covering all individuals admitted to the police academy (1995–2010, N = 6570) and all academy recruits employed in the Norwegian police (1992–2014, N = 7301). The paper analyses the data using discrete-time logistic regression and coarsened exact matching.FindingsThe levels of dropout and attrition are generally low. However, female recruits have a somewhat greater tendency both to drop out of education and to leave the force. The gender differences are quite stable, although the percentage of female recruits has risen sharply. Family obligations do not seem to explain female attrition from the police force.Research limitations/implicationsBecause women tend to leave the police more often than men, further research is suggested in investigating female police recruits’ experiences. However, the relatively low level of dropout and limited gender differences also provide a reason to question whether stories of the police as a male-dominated profession not adapted to women are valid across time and in different settings.Originality/valueThis study provides exhaustive and detailed longitudinal data not previously available in studies of police careers. This study also tracks attrition in a period that has involved both increased numerical representation of women and changes in police culture, while accounting for other observable differences between male and female police officers. Contrary to common explanations, there is limited importance of family obligations and altered gender composition.

The influence of department policy and accountability on officer-involved collisions

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 578-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Andrew Hansen ◽  
Jeff Rojek ◽  
Scott E. Wolfe ◽  
Geoffrey P. Alpert
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Patrol Officers ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Vehicle Collisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Policies ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Little is known regarding the impact of organizational policies and practices on police officers’ driving behaviors. To address an important gap in the empirical literature, this study examined how perceived likelihood of discipline for violations of agency driving policies impacted officer-involved vehicle collisions. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were distributed to patrol officers and their supervisors in eight California law enforcement agencies. The surveys elicited information regarding the perceived likelihood of discipline for violations of agency driving policies regarding cell phone use, text messaging, seatbelt use, speeding, and vehicle operations during emergency and pursuit situations. Findings – The findings demonstrated a significant impact of perceived likelihood of enforcement for some but not all agency driving policies on officer-involved vehicle collisions. Research limitations/implications – This study was limited to self-reported data from patrol officers and their supervisors in eight California agencies. Practical implications – Findings suggest that agencies may reduce officer injuries and other costs by increasing supervision and enforcement of agency driving policies. Originality/value – This study contributes to the extant body of literature on officer-involved vehicle collisions by considering the impact of agency policy and supervision on officer behavior.

scholarly journals “Little Red Sandals”: female police officers' lived experience of investigating sexual violence

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adina Bozga ◽  
Almuth McDowall ◽  
Jennifer Brown
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Secondary Trauma ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Police Work ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Police Officers

PurposeAgainst a background of increasing workload and external criticism, the purpose of this paper is to expose the indelible memories impressed on female police officers dedicated to investigating allegations of rape and sexual violence.Design/methodology/approachParticipants (n = 15) were female police officers working in a specialist sexual offences investigation unit in a large English Metropolitan Police Force. A semi-structured interview was employed to elicit their experiences as an example of “extreme” police work. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to develop themes elucidating psychological and physical impacts on officers and their coping strategies.FindingsPersonal consequences were framed within the conceptualisation of secondary trauma. Emergent findings revealed profound and lasting vicarious traumatisation. Participants reported feelings of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, intrusive imagery, altered beliefs and cognitions as well as disrupted intimacy with partners. Coping adaptations included sensory shutdown, avoidance, dissociation and a reduction in victim care.Practical implicationsThe findings support the need to consider occupational interventions to address risk factors associated with caseload, tenure, personal experience of neglect (e.g. in childhood), and the permeability of work and family boundaries for such exceptional policing tasks.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to a nascent literature on stress in “extreme” police work. The theoretical contribution is the focus on the emotional and physical aspects of vicarious trauma, which have been less well understood than cognitive aspects. The practice implications stress the need for targeted support activities given the profound psychological consequences of prolonged exposure to distressing material.

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