Assessing law enforcement websites: a comparative analysis exploring types, quantity and quality of information available

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the availability of information on law enforcement websites in the state of Wisconsin.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted a content analysis of all 179 county and municipal local law enforcement agency websites within Wisconsin. The authors then implemented a comparative analysis that explored whether the quantity and quality of information available on law enforcement websites are similar to those of local governments and school districts. The authors then estimated models to test whether there is a relationship between the population size served and gender distribution of law enforcement departments to the availability of information on law enforcement websites.FindingsLaw enforcement websites contain a noticeable lack of information. The finding is even more apparent when comparing law enforcement websites to the websites of local governments and school districts. Finally, the authors show a positive link between information sharing on law enforcement websites and the proportion of the civilian staff at an agency that are women.Originality/valuePast studies that reviewed the make-up of law enforcement websites analyzed large law enforcement departments rather than local law enforcement departments, which notably represent the majority of most law enforcement departments. The authors also explicitly demonstrate that the commitment to information sharing is lagging within law enforcement websites compared to local-level governments. Future scholarship and law enforcement departments may benefit from exploring the employment of female civilians.

The response of law enforcement agencies and police officers' experiences under the Covid-19 state of alarm in Catalonia, Spain

PurposeLaw enforcement agencies and police officers' efforts were crucial to oversee the public health measures and legal regulations introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study had two objectives: to examine the strategies implemented by law enforcement agencies in Catalonia (Spain) to monitor the pandemic and to explore the adverse working conditions of police officers and their personal difficulties during the state of alarm.Design/methodology/approachA total of 96 experienced police officers completed a closed-ended, anonymous online survey. In addition, complementary information was collected about the management of law enforcement agencies through open interviews. A descriptive analysis was carried out and the association between variables was explored.FindingsIn general terms, law enforcement agencies managed the uncertainty of the situation, with a focus on official information and communication channels between officers. However, many difficulties were reported by the police officers, such us inconsistency between rules, lack of preventive material or changes in work schedules. Besides, the officers' main concern, beyond the emotional impact suffered during this period, was the possibility of being infected or infecting others.Practical implicationsThe congruence between the job requirements and resources, as well as the increase of communication channels during situations of high risk are important variables to assure good job development and personal satisfaction of police officers.Originality/valueTo the knowledge of the authors, at the time of writing this paper, this is the first study in Spain to explore the management of law enforcement agencies and police officers' personal experiences during the Covid-19.

Exploring the police use of force continuum with a partial proportional odds model

PurposeThe present study examines a range of police force on the continuum (firearms, TASER/chemical spray and physical force) to see whether they are associated with individual (subject and officer), situational and/or neighborhood factors.Design/methodology/approachA partial proportional odds model is used to analyze police use of force data from 2003 to 2016 in Dallas. Independent variables are allowed for varying effects across the different cumulative dichotomizations of the dependent variable (firearms vs TASER/chemical spray and physical force and firearms and TASER/chemical spray vs physical force).FindingsMost officer demographic and situational factors are consistently significant across the cumulative dichotomizations of police force. In addition, suspect race/ethnicity (Hispanic) and violent crime rates play significant roles when officers make decisions to use firearms, as opposed to TASER/chemical spray and physical force. Overall, situational variables (subject gun possession and contact types) play greater roles than other variables in affecting police use of force.Originality/valueDespite the large body of police use of force research, little to no research has used the partial proportional odds model to examine the ordinal nature of police force from physical to intermediate to deadly force. The current findings can provide important implications for policy and research.

Testing the organizational trust contents of coast guard organizations in Taiwan

PurposeThe purpose is to verify the OTC of Taiwan coast guard organizations and to explore whether the views of coast guard personnel on the trust of supervisors, colleagues and subordinates are consistent based on vertical or horizontal relationship in the organization.Design/methodology/approachThis is an empirical study conducted with 412 participants from Taiwan coast guard organizations.FindingsThe main finding of this study was that, in Taiwan coast guard organizations, there are differences in the perceptions of organizational trust contents (OTC) in different measuring subjects that are nonexistent in previous studies on other cultures. In particular, the recognition of organizational trust (OT) in subordinates was higher than that in colleagues, while the recognition of OT in colleagues was higher than that in supervisors. Furthermore, measuring the same object with different dimensions, it was found that the OT of colleagues' honest negotiation was significantly higher than those of “not to take excessive advantage (NTEA)” and “keep commitments.” There was no difference in recognition of the three dimensions for subordinates and supervisors.Originality/valueThe result confirms the structure of the Organizational Trust Inventory model of Taiwan coast guard organizations. In addition, Chinese culture evidently influences the weight on each of the contracting behaviors expected of different referents; particularly, trustworthy subordinates are more expected to exhibit good contracting behaviors than supervisors and coworkers. This study contributes to the understanding of how to foster trust in terms of good contracting behaviors in Taiwan coast guard organizations.

How far do they go?: A spatial examination of missing persons from hospitals

PurposeMissing person cases are a global issue impacting policing. Among these, those who abscond from hospitals are especially concerning because these reports require collaboration across services, often strain already limited police and hospital resources and present an elevated level of possible harm due to high prevalence of mental illness, disability and/or addiction. Despite this, to-date, there has been a lack of scholarly attention on this phenomenon from a policing perspective. The present study aims to fill this gap by exploring how far missing hospital patients travel and where they are commonly found.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 731 closed case files (2014–2018) from one police service, we identify spatial behaviour patterns specific to this group of missing persons.FindingsResults suggest that most do not leave the hospital grounds or stay within a 5-km radius. Others were found close to the hospital, within city limits and/or returned of their own volition. By identifying these spatial behaviour patterns associated with missing hospital patients, police can refine probable search areas, allocate resources more efficiently, find the missing faster and develop better-informed responses and collaborative policies.Originality/valueOur research represents the first empirical investigation into missing persons from hospital settings through a spatial perspective. Through descriptive statistical and spatial analyses, we determine the distance between the hospital a given individual was reported missing from and the location of where they were ultimately found.

Perceived organizational support and its interaction with voice on police officers' organizational cynicism, stress and emotional exhaustion

PurposeAmong a sample of 281 active-duty Canadian police officers, the current study investigated whether perceived organizational support (POS) would predict officers' organizational cynicism, stress and emotional exhaustion three months later. The moderating influence of officer voice on these relationships was also examined.Design/methodology/approachIn collaboration with a large policing organization, online surveys collecting quantitative data and soliciting open-ended comments were administered to officers, with a three-month lag separating survey administrations.FindingsThe results reveal that POS predicted significant variance in each of the investigated outcomes. It was found that voice moderated the association between POS and organizational cynicism, but in a manner that suggests a suboptimal voice climate within the organization. Officers provided open-ended qualitative comments that supported this interpretation.Practical implicationsThe evidence supports that if organizational leaders wish to prevent disadvantageous outcomes such as organizational cynicism, stress, emotional exhaustion and their consequents, then advancing both organizational support and a positive voice climate is recommended.Originality/valueThe results suggest that voice interacts with POS to influence organizational cynicism among police, highlighting the importance of responsiveness to voice for police management, and thus serving as an important bridge between theory and practice.

Transitioning from pandemic to normalcy: what police departments can learn from the rank-and-file

PurposeAfter more than 18 months of life during a pandemic, much of the world is beginning to transition back to some semblance of normalcy. As that happens, institutions – including policing – need to acknowledge changes that had been made during the pandemic and decide what modifications and innovations, if any, to continue moving forward.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use semi-structured interviews and focus groups of police personnel in the United States (US) and Canada. The sample includes police officers and frontline supervisors (n = 20). The authors conduct qualitative analysis using deductive and inductive coding schemes.FindingsThe sample identified four areas of adaptation during the pandemic: 1) safety measures, 2) personnel reallocation, 3) impacts on training and 4) innovation and role adjustments. These areas of adaptation prompted several recommendations for transitioning police agencies out of the pandemic.Originality/valueA growing number of studies are addressing police responses to the pandemic. Virtually all are quantitative in nature, including all studies investigating the perceptions of police personnel. The body of perceptual studies is extraordinarily small and primarily focuses on police executives, ignoring the views of the rank-and-file who are doing the work of street-level police business. This is the first study to delve into the perceptions of this group, and does so using a qualitative approach that permits a richer understanding of the nuances of perception.

Community policing and the organizational structure of campus law enforcement agencies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which community policing within campus law enforcement agencies is influenced by the organizational structure, agency characteristics and campus characteristics.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilizes ordinary least squares regression modeling to examine community policing implementation. Data were drawn from a sample of 242 US colleges and universities included in the 2011–2012 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies (SCLEA).FindingsFindings show that within-campus law enforcement agencies, greater levels of community policing are associated with more formalization, larger numbers of employees, a higher task scope and higher rates of on-campus property crime.Research limitations/implicationsUse of secondary data and reported crime rate limits the study. Future research should implement specialized surveys and qualitative methods to identify the specific needs and implementations of community policing.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the limited body of literature on the community policing in campus law enforcement through more recent data and the inclusion of campus community variables.

Hit and miss: a comparison of targeted and randomised roadside drug testing (RDT)

PurposeThis study first aimed to investigate the differences in drug driver detection rates between a trial of randomised and targeted enforcement operations. The second aim was to identify which indicator categories are most commonly used by police to target drug drivers and to assess the effectiveness of targeted drug testing. Finally, this study aimed to quantify what specific indicators and cues (of the overarching categories) triggered their decision to drug test drivers and which indicators were most successful.Design/methodology/approachThis research examined the detection rates in a trial comparison of randomised and targeted roadside drug testing (RDT) operations as well as the methods utilised by police in the targeted operations to identify potential drug driving offenders.FindingsVisual appearance was by far the most commonly utilised indicator followed by age, police intelligence on prior charges, vehicle appearance and behavioural cues. However, the use of police intelligence was identified as the most successful indicator that correlated with positive oral fluid testing results. During the randomised RDT operations, 3.4% of all drivers who were tested yielded a positive roadside oral fluid result compared to 25.5% during targeted RDT operations.Research limitations/implicationsThe targeted RDT approach, while determined to be an effective detection methodology, limits the overall deterrent effect of roadside testing in a more general driving population, and the need for a balanced approach to ensure detection and deterrence is required. This study highlights that by focussing on night times for randomised RDT operations and the identified effective indicators for targeted operations, an effective balance of deterrence and detection could be achieved.Practical implicationsWhile the presence of a single indicator is not indicative of a drug driver, this study highlights for police which indicators currently used are more effective at detecting a drug driver. As a result, police could adapt current RDT procedures to focus on the presence of these indicators to support drug driver detection.Originality/valueThis is a world-first study that examines both randomised and targeted roadside drug testing. This study controls for location and time of day while using the same police unit for roadside testing, thus is able to make direct comparisons between the two methodologies to determine the effectiveness of police targeting for roadside drug testing. Furthermore, this study highlights which indicators used by police results in the highest rate of positive roadside drug tests.

Dying for the job: police mortality, 1950–2018

PurposeThis study is a mortality assessment on police officers (68-years, 1950–2018) and includes all causes of death.Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigated 1,853 police deaths (1950–2018) using sources of mortality that included the National Death Index, NY State, and available records from the Buffalo NY police department. Standardized Mortality Ratios were calculated. Death codes were obtained from 8th and 9th International Classification of Disease revisions in accordance with the year of death.FindingsCompared to the US general population, white male police officers from 1950–2018 had elevated mortality rates for some causes of death, including diseases of the circulatory system, malignant neoplasms, cirrhosis of the liver, and mental disorders. Black and female officers had lower mortality rates for all causes of death compared to the general population.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of elevated risk for chronic disease among police need to be studied in relation to stress, lifestyle, and exposure to chemical and physical agents. There is a special need to further study officers from minority populations as larger samples become available.Practical implicationsThe results of this study will provide police and occupational health practitioners with objective evidence to determine the health impact of work on law enforcement officers.Originality/valueThis study is longest running mortality assessment on police officers ever conducted (1950–2018) and includes white, black, and female officers.