Police Officer and Supervisor Perceptions of Body-Worn Cameras Pre- and Postimplementation: The Importance of Officer Buy-in

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie A. Snyder ◽  
Matthew S. Crow ◽  
John Ortiz Smykla
Keyword(s):  
Police Officer ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Stakeholder Perceptions ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Policy Suggestions ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are increasingly more common in their use among police officers. Research on BWCs is the focus of an increasing number of studies seeking information on stakeholder perceptions and the impact of the technology on behavior and other related outcomes. Although the emerging research is mixed, several studies find that officers have concerns about the use of BWCs and may not fully support their use. The current study utilizes survey data from two Southern police departments. Police officers and supervisors were surveyed on their perceptions of BWCs prior to the implementation of BWCs, then again after their implementation. The analysis focuses on changes in perceptions before and after BWC implementation and examines the impact of respondent rank on perceptions. Overall, perceptions became more positive toward BWCs after the implementation; however, differences emerged when considering rank. Respondents at the supervisor rank expressed significantly less concern and more support for BWCs than those at the officer level after implementation. These results are discussed in the context of the importance of officer support and buy-in for BWCs. Policy suggestions and future directions are also discussed.

Cultivation theory: The impact of crime media's portrayal of race on the desire to become a U.S. police officer

2021 ◽  
pp. 146135572110365
Author(s):  
Wendi Pollock ◽  
Natalia D Tapia ◽  
Deborah Sibila
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Deadly Force ◽  
Cultivation Theory ◽  
Implicit Biases ◽  
Current Article ◽  
The Impact

The death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 again left people asking why U.S. police officers so commonly resort to the use of deadly force when interacting with Black individuals. The current article proposes that media, combined with cultivation theory and social cognition concepts may create implicit biases that are potential contributors to this problem. Police officers have a greater vulnerability to these biases because intake of crime-related media positively predicts their interest in selecting law enforcement as a career. Other predictors of an interest in working in law enforcement, and implications of these findings, are discussed.

On-scene Mental Health Counseling Provided Through Police Departments

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Young ◽  
Jill Fuller ◽  
Briana Riley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Crisis Counseling ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Impact

The expectation that police officers can address every need in every situation is daunting and unrealistic. Recognizing this, some police departments have instituted special training or used other resources to better serve the needs of citizens. One example is an on-scene crisis counseling unit comprised of volunteer mental health professionals who respond to calls with police officers. These counselors provide mental health services that police officers cannot. This article explains the usefulness of this type of program, and crisis counseling in general, for both officers and victims as they deal with crises like domestic violence, homicide, suicide, and sexual assault. The study examines survey results from victims and police officers about the impact of this intervention. The data support the helpfulness of the program. Implications and recommendations for further research are included.

scholarly journals Better Use of Data to improve parent Satisfaction (BUDS): protocol for a prospective before-and-after pilot study employing mixed methods to improve parent experience of neonatal care

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e000515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Sakonidou ◽  
Izabela Andrzejewska ◽  
Sophia Kotzamanis ◽  
Wendy Carnegie ◽  
Mable Nakubulwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Clinical Data ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Parent Satisfaction ◽  
Neonatal Care ◽  
Data Completeness ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Staff Interactions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Staff Workload

IntroductionHaving a baby that requires neonatal care is stressful and traumatic. Parents often report dissatisfaction with communication of clinical information. In the UK neonatal care data are recorded daily using electronic patient record systems (EPR), from which deidentified data form the National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD). We aim to evaluate the impact of sharing neonatal EPR data with parents, on parent-reported satisfaction, parent–staff interactions, staff workload and data completeness.MethodsA prospective, before-and-after, mixed-method study. Participants are parents of inpatient babies (maximum 90) and staff in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit, London, UK. The intervention was developed by former neonatal parents, neonatologists and neonatal nurses: a communication tool for parents comprising individualised, written, daily infant updates for parents, derived from EPR data. The intervention will be provided to parents over 6 weeks. Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles will inform the tool’s iterative development and improvement. The tool’s impact will be measured using a validated parent survey, staff survey, data completeness measures and interviews.AnalysisPrimary outcome: parent satisfaction ‘with communication of clinical information and involvement in care’. Secondary outcomes: parent–staff interactions, staff workload, data completeness. Baseline survey data will be obtained from clinical service evaluation preceding the intervention. Baseline data completeness will be derived from the NNRD. During the intervention, surveys will be administered biweekly and data completeness assessed daily. We will analyse outcomes using run charts and partially paired statistical tests. Parent and staff interviews will explore information exchange and the communication tool’s impact.DiscussionThis study will evaluate the impact of a parent co-designed intervention on communication with parents in neonatal care and the completeness of routinely recorded electronic clinical data. Better use of routinely recorded clinical data provides the opportunity to improve parent satisfaction and increase the research utility of such data, benefiting clinical care.Ethics and disseminationReviewed and approved by the West Midlands—South Birmingham REC (18/WM/0175).Registration numberISRCTN62718241.

Police and Suicide Prevention

Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Marzano ◽  
Mark Smith ◽  
Matthew Long ◽  
Charlotte Kisby ◽  
Keith Hawton
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Police Attitudes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Suicide Awareness

Abstract. Background: Police officers are frequently the first responders to individuals in crisis, but generally receive little training for this role. We developed and evaluated training in suicide awareness and prevention for frontline rail police in the UK. Aims: To investigate the impact of training on officers’ suicide prevention attitudes, confidence, and knowledge. Method: Fifty-three participants completed a brief questionnaire before and after undertaking training. In addition, two focus groups were conducted with 10 officers to explore in greater depth their views and experiences of the training program and the perceived impact on practice. Results: Baseline levels of suicide prevention attitudes, confidence, and knowledge were mixed but mostly positive and improved significantly after training. Such improvements were seemingly maintained over time, but there was insufficient power to test this statistically. Feedback on the course was generally excellent, notwithstanding some criticisms and suggestions for improvement. Conclusion: Training in suicide prevention appears to have been well received and to have had a beneficial impact on officers’ attitudes, confidence, and knowledge. Further research is needed to assess its longer-term effects on police attitudes, skills, and interactions with suicidal individuals, and to establish its relative effectiveness in the context of multilevel interventions.

scholarly journals Searching Racism after George Floyd

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 237802312097150
Author(s):  
Christopher Barrie
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Political Interest ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Search Data

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His death led to U.S.-wide protest that would eventually cross borders, spanning multiple continents. The transnational diffusion of protest and movement frames is a recognized phenomenon in the study of contention. Less well documented are the consequences of such protest for political interest; absent survey data, this is difficult to measure. One alternative is to use Internet search data. This visualization uses Google Trends to document variation in search interest for “racism” across 101 countries and 32 languages during the period before and after George Floyd’s killing. In the majority of countries, there was significantly increased search interest that was sustained for at least two weeks. The findings suggest that transnational protest diffusion may lead to global increases in political interest.

Quality over Quantity: Assessing the Impact of Frequent Public Interaction Compared to Problem-Solving Activities on Police Officer Job Satisfaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 526-541
Author(s):  
Victoria A Sytsma ◽  
Eric L Piza
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Primary Response ◽  
Job Assignment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Calls For Service ◽  
Community Oriented Policing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Research outside the field of policing has shown that job satisfaction predicts job performance. While policing research has demonstrated performing community-oriented policing (COP) activities generally improves police officer job satisfaction, the mechanism through which it occurs remains unclear. This study contributes to the community-policing literature through a survey of 178 police officers at the Toronto Police Service. The survey instrument measures the mechanism through which job satisfaction is impacted. Results indicate that primary response officers are more likely to be somewhat or very unsatisfied with their current job assignment compared with officers with a COP assignment—confirming what previous research has found. Further, those who interact with the public primarily for the purpose of engaging in problem-solving are more likely to be very satisfied with their current job assignment compared with those who do so primarily for the purpose of responding to calls for service. Engaging in problem-solving increases the odds of being very satisfied in one’s job assignment, and the combination of frequent contacts with the public and problem-solving is less important than problem-solving alone. The implications of the study findings for COP strategies are discussed.

scholarly journals Effects of Organizational Support and Organizational Justice on Police Officers’ Work Engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Piotrowski ◽  
Samir Rawat ◽  
Ole Boe
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Supervisor Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Practical Implications

The impact of organizational support and organizational justice on work engagement was investigated in a group of police officers. A review of the literature revealed that studies reporting differences between the influence of supervisors and coworker justice and support on work engagement among police officers are grossly insufficient. This study hypothesized that organizational support and organizational justice would positively predict work engagement among police officers. It was also hypothesized that, among police officers, supervisor support is more strongly related to work engagement than coworker support and that supervisor justice is more strongly linked to work engagement than coworker justice. Participants were 170 police officers who worked in police departments in northern Poland. A regression analysis showed that supervisor support and supervisor justice had a positive effect on police officers’ work engagement, whereby organizational support coupled with organizational justice accounted for 26% of the variability of work engagement. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.

scholarly journals Police Officers’ Best Friend?: An Exploratory Analysis of the Effect of Service Dogs on Perceived Organizational Support in Policing

2021 ◽  
pp. 0032258X2110447
Author(s):  
Kenneth M Quick ◽  
Eric L Piza
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Perceived Organizational Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Service Dogs ◽  
Service Dog

This study explored the effectiveness of a novel technique for police departments to support their officers and promote wellness: the use of service dogs. We evaluated officer perceptions in two mid-sized, municipal police departments that have wellness programs with a service dog that is permanently assigned to a full-time police officer handler: Groton and Naugatuck, Connecticut. We assessed six factors believed to influence police officer wellness including: operational and organizational stress using the Police Stress Questionnaire; topical stressors including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, police use of force and community relations, and police reform efforts; Perceived Organizational Support (POS); receptivity to service dogs; and willingness to seek assistance for mental health issues. We found evidence that exposure to service dogs is significantly linked to both POS and receptivity to service dogs in policing. We also found that officer willingness to seek their department’s assistance regarding mental health approaches significance with greater exposure to the service dog ( p = .07). Although we found no significant evidence that exposure to service dogs is linked to stress reduction, we found that police reforms pose a substantial perceived stress on officers in the study. This finding presents a serious challenge for reformers that risks undermining officer wellness. Implications of our findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Characteristics of Police Officer Suicides in the Federal Austrian Police Corps

Crisis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 265-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. D. Kapusta ◽  
M. Voracek ◽  
E. Etzersdorfer ◽  
T. Niederkrotenthaler ◽  
K. Dervic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Length Of Service ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Suicide Notes ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Austrian Population

Background: Suicide rates among police officers may be high because of strong occupational stressors. Aims: This study examined the suicide rate and suicide characteristics among police officers in the Federal Austrian Police Force. Methods: All suicides among policemen during the period 1996–2006 were analyzed retrospectively on the basis of personalized police record files from all Austrian police departments. Information on sex, age, marital status, children, region, method and place of suicide, suicide notes, position, and length of service was extracted from these files. The general Austrian population, adjusted for sex and age composition, served as the comparison group. Results: The suicide rate among male police officers was 30.2/100,000 (SD 11.0), which was comparable to the suicide rate in the adjusted general population (30.5/100,000; SD 2.9). The female police officer suicide rate was 1.8/100,000, while the corresponding suicide rate of the adjusted female general population was 12.5/100,000 (SD 1.7). Firearms were the most frequent suicide method (77.8%), and the incidence of suicide notes was 30.8%. Conclusions: Suicide rates among police officers seem comparable to those of the age-adjusted general population. Given the healthy-worker effect, these results still suggest an increased risk of suicide among police officers. These findings should stimulate further research on stressors and risk factors for suicide among officers and should also encourage departments to increase awareness regarding suicidal signs among officers.

Beyond Turnout

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Political Sophistication ◽  
National Data ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
Compulsory Voting ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cross National

Compulsory voting is widely used in the democratic world, and it is well established that it increases electoral participation. This book assesses the effects of compulsory voting beyond turnout. The author first summarizes the normative arguments for and against compulsory voting, provides information on its contemporary use, reviews recent events pertaining to its (proposed) adoption and abolition, and provides an extensive account of extant research on its consequences. The author then advances a theory that compulsory voting polarizes behavior and attitudes, and broadens gaps in political sophistication levels, among those with negative and positive orientations toward democracy. Recognizing the impact of mandatory voting on the electorate, political parties then alter the ways in which they seek votes, with mainstream parties moderating their platforms and smaller parties taking more extreme positions. The author uses survey data from countries with compulsory voting to show that support for the requirement to vote is driven by individuals’ orientations toward democracy. The theory is then comprehensively tested using: cross-national data, cross-cantonal data from Switzerland, and survey data from Argentina. Empirical results are largely indicative of the theorized process whereby compulsory voting has divergent effects on citizens and political parties. The book concludes with a discussion of future directions for academic research, implications for those who craft electoral policy, and alternative ways of boosting turnout.

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