Police Productivity and Performance Over the Career Course: A Latent Class Growth Analysis of the First 10 Years of Law Enforcement

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-367
Author(s):  
Jillian S. Desmond ◽  
Bradford W. Reyns ◽  
James Frank ◽  
Charles F. Klahm IV ◽  
Billy Henson
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Performance Evaluations ◽  
Police Academy ◽  
Career Course ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Latent Class Growth ◽  
Growth Analyses

The present research investigates the productivity and performance of a large sample of police officers, beginning in the police academy and through their first 10 years of policing. Using longitudinal data and latent class growth analyses, we examine measures of productivity and performance over this time. Findings indicate that officers’ academy performance did not influence officer trajectories, but selected demographic variables were significantly related to performance across the career course. Among these, female and non-White officers were consistently rated lower in their performance evaluations. Overall, results suggest that factors predicting productivity and performance are dynamic, and there is no single combination of characteristics that predicts who will be a “good” officer.

scholarly journals Latent Class Growth Analysis and Growth Mixture Modeling using R: A tutorial for two R-packages and a comparison with Mplus.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaas J Wardenaar
Keyword(s):  
Latent Class ◽  
Growth Mixture Modeling ◽  
Mixture Modeling ◽  
Growth Trajectories ◽  
Growth Mixture ◽  
Software Packages ◽  
Model Configuration ◽  
R Packages ◽  
Latent Class Growth ◽  
Growth Analyses

Latent Class Growth Analyses (LCGA) and Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) analyses are used to explain between-subject heterogeneity in growth on an outcome, by identifying latent classes with different growth trajectories. Dedicated software packages are available to estimate these models, with Mplus (Muthén & Muthén, 2019) being widely used . Although this and other available commercial software packages are of good quality, very flexible and rich in options, they can be costly and fit poorly into the analytical workflow of researchers that increasingly depend on the open-source R-platform. Interestingly, although plenty of R-packages to conduct mixture analyses are available, there is little documentation on how to conduct LCGA/GMM in R. Therefore, the current paper aims to provide applied researchers with a tutorial and coding examples for conducting LCGA and GMM in R. Furthermore, it will be evaluated how results obtained with R and the modeling approaches (e.g., default settings, model configuration) of the used R-packages compare to each other and to Mplus.

scholarly journals Identification of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) Subgroups with Distinct Trajectories on Ultimate Outcomes in Norway

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serap Keles ◽  
Knut Taraldsen ◽  
Asgeir Røyrhus Olseth
Keyword(s):  
Latent Class ◽  
Multisystemic Therapy ◽  
Immigrant Status ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Immigrant Background ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Youth At Risk ◽  
Latent Class Growth ◽  
Growth Analyses ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe effect of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) treatment for serious behavior problems among adolescents has been established through multiple studies. However, variations across individuals should also be examined to better understand how MST works or for whom. In this study, we explored and identified subgroups of youth with serious problems in Norway regarding their responses to MST in terms of ultimate MST outcomes (e.g., living at home, abstaining from violence) over time. We further explored whether immigrant background, in addition to gender and age of the youth at intake, predicted belonging to the subgroups. Data came from 1674 adolescents (MeanAge = 14.55, SDAge = 1.58; 60.7% boys) and their families referred to MST treatment by the municipal Child Welfare Services for serious and persistent antisocial behavior. The outcomes were assessed at five time-points from intake to 18-months after discharge for youth and families who completed the treatment. Latent class growth analyses revealed heterogeneous trajectories regarding youths’ responses to MST. Results indicated a high and sustained degree of improvement across the ultimate outcomes for the vast majority of the youths. However, there was still variation in the groups, with improvement and deterioration trajectories for various outcomes. Most of these trajectories were predicted by gender and youth’s age at intake, but not by immigrant status. Not every youth-at-risk responds similarly to MST, and more studies examining heterogeneity will help us to identify factors to be targeted to better tailor the MST interventions for youth with serious problems.

Marksmanship Skills of Female Police Recruits: Impact of Basic Firearms Training

2001 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Charles ◽  
Anne G. Copay
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Training ◽  
Police Academy ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Basic Law ◽  
Female Officers ◽  
Training Institute

Female police officers generally have a weaker grip strength and are less familiar with firearms than their male counterparts when they enter the police academy. The study examined whether the basic law enforcement firearms class adequately prepared female officers. Police recruits coming to the Police Training Institute (PTI) with no or little firearms training were selected. The grip strength and marksmanship scores of 216 police recruits (185 men and 31 women) were measured. Both male and female recruits significantly improved their marksmanship scores by the end of the training. The female scores remained slightly but significantly lower than the male scores due to their lower grip strength.

scholarly journals Trajectories of emotional symptoms in adolescence: impact on alcohol use

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 130-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Elizabeth Birrell ◽  
Nicola Clare Newton ◽  
Lexine Stapinski ◽  
Katrina Prior ◽  
Katrina Elizabeth Champion ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Emotional Symptoms ◽  
Standard Drink ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Symptom Trajectories ◽  
Latent Class Growth ◽  
Growth Analyses

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how different trajectories of emotional symptoms relate to alcohol use in adolescence. Design/methodology/approach In all, 431 participants (majority female), aged approximately 13 years at baseline were followed over three years and reported on their emotional symptoms and alcohol use. Latent class growth analyses explored different trajectories of emotional symptoms and regression models were run to relate these trajectories to alcohol use (full standard drink, and binge drinking) at 36-month follow-up (age 16 years). Findings While the majority of adolescents were best characterised by low-stable emotional symptoms, those with high-stable symptoms were more likely to be have consumed a full standard drink of alcohol and binge drunk when aged 16 years. Research limitations/implications Findings highlight the importance of prevention and early intervention, particularly targeting adolescents with elevated stable emotional symptoms who were more likely to be using alcohol at 16 years of age. Originality/value The present study is one of the first longitudinal investigations into the use of alcohol by community adolescents with different emotional symptom trajectories.

scholarly journals Domestic responsibilities as predictors of labour market attachment trajectories in men and women

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 536-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Peutere ◽  
Päivi Rautava ◽  
Pekka Virtanen
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Register Data ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Latent Class Growth ◽  
Growth Analyses ◽  
Latent Class Growth Analyses

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse whether high responsibility for housework or childcare is related to weak labour market attachment. Design/methodology/approach Survey data on domestic responsibilities in 1998 and 2003 were linked to register data on respondents’ employment spells for 2004-2011. Effects of the responsibilities on labour market trajectories – identified with latent class growth analyses – were analysed with multinomial logistic regression analyses. Findings Four trajectories for labour market attachment were identified among both genders. When adjusted for prior labour market attachment and other control variables, a high responsibility for housework predicted weak labour market attachment, compared to the trajectory of strong attachment, only among men. Compared to the trajectory of strengthening attachment, a high responsibility for housework was related to weak attachment among both men and women. Research limitations/implications Personal orientations may, to some extent, explain both the division on domestic responsibilities and attachment to the labour market. In the Finnish type of welfare state, domestic responsibilities have long-term effects, especially on men’s careers. More attention should be given to men’s roles in families and their possible consequences. Originality/value This is the first study analysing the division of domestic responsibilities on later labour market attachment among both genders. The strength of this study is the long follow-up time and methodology; it combines survey data at two time points and register data on employment spells over eight years, identifying patterns in employment with latent class growth analyses.

scholarly journals New Directions in Police Academy Training: A Call to Action

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (24) ◽  
pp. 4941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Blumberg ◽  
Michael D. Schlosser ◽  
Konstantinos Papazoglou ◽  
Sarah Creighton ◽  
Chief Chuck Kaye
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Academy ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Academy Training ◽  
New Directions ◽  
And Control

The complexities of modern policing require law enforcement agencies to expand how officers are trained to do their jobs. It is not sufficient for training to focus solely on the law or on perishable skills; such as arrest and control; defensive tactics; driving; and firearms. The present manuscript addresses the critical importance of infusing academy training with the psychological skills essential for officers to meet the contemporary challenges of police work. The authors suggest that the skills (i.e., cognitive; emotional; social; and moral) discussed in this paper may improve officers’ wellness as well as promote relationships between police officers and community members. Specific methods of incorporating these skills in academy training are offered.

scholarly journals The History of Law Enforcement Culture in Hungary

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-50
Author(s):  
Johanna Farkas ◽  
János Sallai ◽  
Ernő Krauzer
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Police Academy ◽  
Reform Era ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Law ◽  
The Concept Of Law ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Law Enforcement Culture

In Hungary, Ágoston Karvasy was an early pioneer writing about the history of law enforcement. In his first study he defined the concept of law enforcement as a science. The idea of establishing a national police organisation was first mentioned after the reform era but it has not been realized that time but only in the year of 1872. However, the first professional journal of law enforcement was published in 1869 and the word police officer as the ʻguard of the order’ appeared in the Hungarian language in 1870. The scope of authority and jurisdiction of the Police was declared in a law passed in 1881. In 1873 the Metropolitan Police Department was established and in 1905 the Border Police and the Police Department of Fiume were established. In the period between 1945-47, the police continuously emerged. Although the State Security Office was destroyed by the revolution of October 1956 and it was not restored afterwards, it has not effected the Police itself. The organizational culture of the Police is mostly influenced by its educational and training systems. The training of the probationary police officers was approved first by the prime minister in 1884. In 1920 the training of police officers was unified on new bases by the leaders of the Ministry for Internal Affairs and the Police Department. Then the Police Academy was set up in 1948 and the Police College was established in 1971. In 2012 the University of Public Service and its Faculty of Law Enforcement were established and took over the functionalities of the Police Academy as well.

“Laying Hands” and Learning to Touch and Grab in the Police Academy

2019 ◽  
pp. 446-468
Author(s):  
Brian Lande
Keyword(s):  
Police Officer ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Gain Control ◽  
Police Force ◽  
Police Culture ◽  
Police Academy ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Hands On

Research on the formation of police officers generally focuses on the beliefs, accounts, and categories that recruits must master. Becoming a police officer, however, is not simply a matter of acquiring new attitudes and beliefs. This article attends to an unexplored side of police culture—the sensorial and tactile education that recruits undergo at the police academy. Rubenstein wrote in 1973 that a police officer’s first tool is his or her body. This article examines the formation of the police body by examining how police recruits learn to use their hands as instruments of control. In police vernacular, this means learning to “lay hands” (a term borrowed from Pentecostal traditions) or going “hands on.” This chapter focuses on two means of using the hands: searching and defensive tactics. It describes how instructors teach recruits to use their hands for touching, manipulating, and grabbing the clothing and flesh of others to sense weapons and contraband. It also examines how recruits are taught to grab, manipulate, twist, and strike others in order to gain control of “unruly” bodies. It concludes by discussing the implications of “touching like a cop” for understanding membership in the police force.

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