Lived Experiences on Varied Dimensions of Police Recruits’ Training and Practice Basis for Quality Police Performance

Police malpractice, abuse of power, and police misfits are issues and problems associated with police recruits. There were reports about inappropriate acts committed by newly hired police officers during their actual field practice. This qualitative phenomenological studydetermined the dimensions of training that hamper the development of knowledge and skills of the police trainees and police officers.Seventeen (17) purposely selected participants comprised the sample for this study. They were chosen through the following inclusion criteria: police supervisors, trainers, police recruits, staff from the National Police Training Institute (NPTI) and have two or more years ofexperience. Thirteen recurring themes emerged from the verbatim interviews. The Philippine National Police (PNP), National Police Training Institute (NPTI), and the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) are the three public safety institutions in the Philippinesthat are expected to promote the quality performance of police recruits in both training and practice. On the whole, the results of this study can serve as the basis for creating innovative policies about police recruits’ selection, curriculum development, stress management,creation of core competency framework, performance evaluation system, and training and practice needs assessment.

Strain, negative emotions and turnover intentions among American police managers

PurposeThe main objective of the study is to identify the effects of various sources of job-related strains on police managers' turnover intentions.Design/methodology/approachData from a sample of American police managers (N = 179) were used to construct a path model that estimated the direct and indirect effect of environmental and organizational stressors on turnover intentions while considering the mediating role of negative emotionality.FindingsAlthough most of the surveyed police managers (61%) did not report turnover intentions, those who did were more likely to have experienced burnout, frustration and/or emotional drain. Strenuous relationships with police supervisors and work–life imbalances were the main sources of these negative emotions. Turnover intentions were expressed by managers at the operational/technical level (sergeants) and by those who perceived a lack of procedural justice at the agency level. Highly educated managers were significantly less likely to report burnout and turnover intent.Research limitations/implicationsSince this analysis is based on a relatively small convenience sample of police managers, readers should interpret the results cautiously.Practical implicationsTo reduce turnover in police organizations, police administrators should implement and follow policies and procedures to ensure a fair, consistent and just treatment of all employees.Originality/valueThis is one of the few recent studies that focused exclusively on police managers' turnover intentions.

Effective Engagement and Communication Between First-Line Police Supervisors and Police Officers

Leadership is the act of influencing others whereby power comes from things such as referent and reward bases and “have an ethical responsibility to attend to the needs and concerns of followers” (Northouse, 2010, p. 4). In this chapter, the authors highlight the extant literature on organizational leadership and its role in effective communication and engagement processes. The authors focus on first-line supervisors and the impact of communication and engagement on people under their supervision. Employee trait, state, and behavioral constructs coupled with the culture of emotional connection between police officers and the police organization are explored. Further, the authors examine the principles of empowerment including meaningfulness, competence, choice, and impact and its applicability to police leadership. The outcome of the relationship between effective leadership and employee engagement is directly linked to innovation, participation, teamwork, accountability, and the ability to face challenges. Conclusions and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Urban Population of the Russian Periphery in the Days of the First World War: Special Considerations for Identifying Documents on Issues of Public Sentiment and Behavioral Practices

The article offers a systematization of archival sources on formation and development of public moods and behavioral practices of the rear zone population of the Russian periphery in the days of World War I. The following groups of archival sources have been identified: laws and regulations of central and local authorities (circulars, resolutions of ministries and departments, governors, heads of gubernia gendarme departments, commissars of the Provisional Government, orders of garrison commanders); record keeping materials (reports of gendarmerie officials, governors, uezd police officers, polizeimeisters, and police supervisors (nadzirateli); reports of self-government institutions; censorship officers reports; reports and reviews of various committees, meetings, societies, cultural and educational institutions); personal provenance sources (letters, memoirs, anonymous and named complaints and police information); statistical and reference materials. This complex of sources allows to characterize public sentiments and behavioral practices of provincial towns citizens in the wartime: their perception of reality in the changing multifaceted demographic situation; attitudes towards national and confessional groups and their representatives; their reaction to veterans, wounded, prisoners of war, recruits, personnel of rear garrisons, and refugees; leisure possibilities; cultural entertainment and its impact on mood and behavior of citizens; their attitude towards authority and its representatives; impact of the opposition on political activities and dissatisfaction of citizens; organization of supply and its influence on socio-political processes in the urban environment; transformation of official national paradigm. The case-study of the Volga region registers difficulties in identification of sources in the fonds of regional and central archives, which pertain to the subject. The regional specificity in structure and content of archival materials is demonstrated.

Change in Police Organizations: Perceptions, Experiences, and the Failure to Launch

Studies and accounts of change in police organizations frequently emphasize case studies of specific efforts enacted during relatively discrete periods of time in one or a few agencies. The narratives often emphasize the success of change efforts or seek to explain why initiatives failed in the case study agency. While instructive, such accounts do not provide broader insights into successes and failures with change across longer periods of time, differing types of change, and diverse organizational contexts. Using survey data from mid-career police supervisors attending the FBI National Academy program, this study considers change experiences. In particular, consideration is given to the frequency of change, its results, and the factors associated with successful and failed outcomes.

A question of style

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to attempt to replicate Engel’s (2001) styles of supervision using data from a new sample and including additional independent variables. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from a sample of police supervisors (N=369) at three distinct locations throughout the USA. Bivariate analyses and ordinary least squares regression were used to analyze the data. Findings The authors find three of Engel’s four supervisory styles and find largely consistent results, with the exception of gender. Further, the authors find strong evidence for persistent agency-level effects. Originality/value Supervisory styles are important to consider, especially when trying to effectively control the behavior of subordinates. While this study cannot address the impact of organizational differences, the consistent agency-level effects suggest this as something that should be considered again in future research.

Police officer integrity: a partial replication and extension

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to partially replicate and extend the work of Klockars et al. and others on police integrity by examining how individual, organizational, and ecological factors affect police supervisors’ perceptions of police misconduct and willingness to report fellow officers’ misconduct. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys containing 17 scenarios developed by Klockars et al. (2000, 2004, 2006) were administered to 553 ranking officers attending training at the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas from June 1, 2009 to March 1, 2010 and employed by municipal police departments, county sheriff’s departments, and constable agencies. Findings – Results suggest that individual and organizational factors affect supervisor willingness to blow the whistle on underling misconduct, although their effects varied by seriousness of the behavior. Originality/value – The current project partially replicates and extends prior studies of factors affecting police integrity by surveying supervisors, measuring their willingness to whistle blow, and including variables in statistical models that prior studies have not included.

Does discipline fairness matter for the police code of silence? Answers from the US supervisors and line officers

Purpose – Following the theoretical model of reporting and disciplinary fairness developed by Kutnjak Ivković and Klockars (1998), the purpose of this paper is to use a survey of US police officers to explore empirically the contours of the code of silence and the potential relation between the code and perceptions of disciplinary fairness. Design/methodology/approach – In 2013-2014, a police integrity survey was used to measure the contours of police integrity among 604 police officers from 11 police agencies located in the Midwest and on the East Coast of the USA. The questionnaire contains descriptions of 11 scenarios describing various forms of police misconduct, followed by seven questions measuring officer views of scenario seriousness, the appropriate and expected discipline, and willingness to report misconduct. Findings – The results point out that the code of silence varies greatly across the scenarios, both for supervisors and line officers. While the supervisor code and the line officer code differ substantially, they are the most similar for the scenarios evaluated as the most serious. Compared to the respondents who evaluated expected discipline as fair, the respondents who evaluated it as too harsh were more likely to say that they would adhere to the code. On the other hand, compared to the respondents who evaluated discipline as fair, the respondents who evaluate the expected discipline as too lenient were as likely to adhere to the code. Research limitations/implications – The data were collected online, resulting in a lower response rates those typical of traditional paper surveys. Practical implications – The results of the research allow police supervisors interested in the controlling the code of silence to assess where the code is the weakest and easiest to break. Furthermore, the findings suggest to the supervisors who want to curtail the code that the strategy of meting out discipline perceived by line officers as too harsh will potentially only strengthen the code. Originality/value – Whereas the study of the code of silence has started several decades ago, empirical studies exploring the relation between the code of silence and perceptions of disciplinary fairness are rare.

Social bonds and police misconduct

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between social control (adult social bonds) and police misconduct. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple regression methods are used to analyze survey data from a sample of 101 first-line police supervisors. A consequence-based measure is used to capture social bonds and workplace deviance is measured as the self-reported likelihood of future misconduct. Findings – Police supervisors reported varying likelihoods of future workplace deviance across four acts of misconduct. Social control was found to be negatively related to three of the four acts, which provides general support for the theory and study hypothesis. Practical implications – The results are discussed in terms of research and policy implications. Originality/value – Acknowledging important gaps in the literature, this study explores the validity of social control theory for explaining police misconduct.

Chinese police supervisors’ occupational attitudes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess factors that influence Chinese police supervisors’ attitudes toward police roles, community policing, and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from police supervisors in a major Chinese city. Multivariate regression was used to assess the effects of officers’ background characteristics and assignments on their occupational attitudes. Findings – Ethnic minority supervisors were more likely to have a broader order maintenance orientation, a narrower crime fighting orientation, and supportive attitudes toward quality of life activities. Less experienced supervisors were more inclined to favor the order maintenance role. Supervisors with a stronger order maintenance orientation tended to support problem solving activities and have a greater level of job satisfaction. Officers with military service experience also expressed a higher degree of job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – Survey data collected from a single Chinese city may not be generalizable to officers in other regions and departments. Practical implications – Police administrators should screen all applicants on attitudes that reflect departmental work priorities and styles of policing during the initial selection process. Desirable attitudes can be further molded into officers during their academic training, field officer training, and in-service training. Police administrators should continue their recruiting efforts targeting former military personnel. With adequate training in fulfilling civilian tasks and displaying proper outlooks, these individuals could become effective members of the forces. Originality/value – Despite a growing number of studies on crime and justice in China, empirical research on policing in general and on officers’ occupational attitudes in particular remains very limited. This study represents one of the first attempts to assess factors related to police occupational outlooks in China.