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.

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.

Perceived fairness of transfers and job satisfaction among police officers

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahesh K. Nalla ◽  
Sheeraz Akhtar ◽  
Eric Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Perceived Fairness ◽  
Length Of Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Police Organizations ◽  
Organizational Fairness ◽  
Perceptions Of Fairness ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposePolice organizations work better when officers feel satisfied with their jobs. High job satisfaction has been linked to positive outcomes for both officers and police organizations. Perceived fairness of transfers should be positively associated with job satisfaction. There has been little research in this area, and none of the limited past studies have studied this association among Pakistani police officers.Design/methodology/approachData for the study comes from a survey of 550 officers working in the Lahore police stations in Punjab, Pakistan.FindingsAfter controlling for location, work assignment, rank, length of service, marital status, age and educational level, the strongest predictor of job satisfaction was perceived fairness in transfers, an important aspect of policing in Pakistan.Research limitations/implicationsThis was a single exploratory study that only measured perceived fairness of transfers. There is a need for additional studies. Further, broader measures of organizational fairness should be used in future studies.Practical implicationsPolice administrators should ask staff why they perceive transfers as fair or not and what can be done to improve their perceptions.Originality/valueThere has been little research on police in Pakistan and the current study examined perceptions of fairness in terms of transfers with the job satisfaction among police officers in Pakistan.

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.

Exploring police-resident racial equality and violent crime

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-18
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Sytsma
Keyword(s):  
Violent Crime ◽  
Residential Segregation ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Racial Composition ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Minority Officers ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Residential segregation based on race/ethnicity is associated with higher crime rates. However, when there is greater diversity within a neighbourhood, there may be less clustering of crime. One sign of such diversity beyond direct measures of racial similarity may be the proportion of minority officers employed by municipal police departments. As such, the purpose of this paper is to test the effect of the proportion of minority police officers on violent crime within minority communities, controlling for residential segregation. Design/methodology/approach – Multi-level modelling of 91 American cities from the 2000 National Neighbourhood Crime Study was used. Findings – It was found that as minority populations within census tracts increase, violent crime also increases; and crime is associated with an increase in segregation. However, racial composition of police departments can moderate the impact that community racial composition has on violent crime. Originality/value – The current findings point to crime control strategies relevant to municipalities which focus on creating neighbourhoods of racial heterogeneity and more diverse police agencies.

Linking Organizational Justice to Organizational Commitment Among Nigerian Police Officers

2021 ◽  
pp. 009385482110361
Author(s):  
Ivan Y. Sun ◽  
Yuning Wu ◽  
Smart E. Otu ◽  
Gilbert C. Aro ◽  
Ikechukwu Charles Akor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
The Relationship

Organizational commitment is an imperative aspect of occupational attitudes as it signals employees’ willingness to stay with their organization and effectively achieve collective goals. Although recent studies have assessed factors influencing police officers’ organizational commitment, very little is known about the antecedents of police commitment in African countries. Based on a survey of Nigerian police officers, the study assesses the linkage between organizational justice and organizational commitment directly and indirectly through organizational trust and job satisfaction. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicates that the relationship between organizational justice and organizational commitment is principally indirect through the mediating mechanisms of supervisory trustworthiness and job satisfaction. Officers who express greater organizational justice report higher trust in their management and supervisors and, subsequently, stronger job satisfaction, leading to higher organizational commitment. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Examining police officers’ perceptions of stress: the role of Person−environment fit

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Rief ◽  
Samantha Clinkinbeard
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Outcomes ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Organizational Fit ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Overall Job Satisfaction

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between officer perceptions of fit in their organization and stress (organizational and operational), overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation (within the last 6 months).Design/methodology/approachThe authors used cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 832 officers from two Midwest police departments to examine the relationships between fit, stress and work-related attitudes.FindingsPerceived stress and organizational fit were strong predictors of overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation; organizational fit accounted for the most variation in stress, satisfaction and turnover contemplation. Organizational stress partially mediated the relationship between organizational fit and job satisfaction and organizational fit and turnover contemplation.Research ImplicationsMore research is needed to identify predictors of organizational fit perceptions among police officers.Practical implicationsFindings indicate that agencies should pay close attention to the organizational culture and structure when trying to address issues of officer well-being and retention. Further, the person−environment framework can be a useful tool in examining police occupational outcomes.Originality/valueThe authors findings contribute to research on officer stress by exploring perceptions of organizational fit as a predictor of stress and unpacking how officer stress matters to important work outcomes, including job satisfaction and thoughts of turnover, by considering stress as a mediator between organizational fit and these work outcomes.

The mediational effect of regulatory focus on the relationships between mindfulness and job satisfaction and turnover intentions

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 494-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha C. Andrews ◽  
K. Michele Kacmar ◽  
Charles Kacmar
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Prevention Focus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of mindfulness as a predictor of the two components of regulatory focus theory (RFT): promotion and prevention focus. It further examines promotion focus and prevention focus as mediators of the mindfulness-job satisfaction and mindfulness-turnover intentions relationships. Finally, job satisfaction is also examined as a mediator of the mindfulness-turnover intentions relationship. Design/methodology/approach – The model was tested using data collected via a snowball approach. Online surveys were distributed to undergraduate students enrolled in a business course. Students were then given the opportunity to earn extra credit by sending the survey to potential respondents. The relationships were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings – Support was found for four of the six hypotheses. Prevention focus did not negatively mediate the relationship between mindfulness and job satisfaction as well as the relationship between mindfulness and turnover intentions. Research limitations/implications – One limitations of this research is the placement of mindfulness as an antecedent to promotion and prevention focus. Another plausible alternative is to consider mindfulness as a consequence. An additional limitation is the use of a snowball sampling technique. Future research should examine these findings using employees of a single organization. Originality/value – This research theoretically and empirically links RFT and mindfulness. This study also adds to the limited research empirically linking RFT and turnover intentions, both directly and indirectly via job satisfaction. Finally, this research extends previous research that established the positive relationship between mindfulness and job satisfaction by examining the mindfulness-job satisfaction-turnover intentions relationship.

Explaining job satisfaction and voluntary assistance among Nigerian police officers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Smart Egwu Otu ◽  
Ivan Sun ◽  
Charles Ikechukwu Akor ◽  
Macpherson Uchenna Nnam ◽  
Yuning Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Worker Support ◽  
Work Family

PurposeThis study aims to assess the direct relationships between internal support and job satisfaction and voluntary assistance and their indirect connections through work–family conflict among Nigerian police officers.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from police officers in a midsized state police command in Ebonyi state in Nigeria. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the connections between supervisor support, peer support, work–family conflict, job satisfaction and voluntary assistance.FindingsPolice officers with stronger supervisor and co-worker support are more inclined to express higher job satisfaction, whereas such support is not linked to officers' willingness to help fellow officers. Work–family conflict mediates the relationship between co-worker support and voluntary assistance. Stronger peer support is accompanied by higher work–family conflict, which then is linked to greater helping behavior.Originality/valueDespite many studies on police job satisfaction, research on correlates of job satisfaction in an African context remains severely under-investigated. This study represents one of the first attempts to assess police proactive helping behavior and job satisfaction in Nigeria.

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.

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