NCJ Number
25927
Date Published
1973
Length
375 pages
Annotation
THIS DISSERTATION STUDY FOCUSES ON THE EXTENT OF ALIENATION AMONG SYRACUSE (NY) POLICE, REASONS FOR THE ALIENATION, WHAT GROUPS ARE ALIENATED ON THE FORCE, AND THE EFFECT OF THIS ALIENATION ON RACIAL ATTITUDES.
Abstract
THIS REPORT BEGINS BY DESCRIBING THE COMMUNITY SETTING AND EXAMINING THE RACIAL AND ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE CITY AND POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE BLACK COMMUNITY. A PROFILE OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS DEVELOPED FROM OFFICIAL REPORTS AND FROM THE RESPONSES TO A 176-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE ATTITUDE SURVEY OF 396 (OVER 90 PERCENT) OFFICERS IN THE SYRACUSE POLICE DEPARTEMNT. THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEPARTMENT'S DUTY MANUAL IN ENCOURAGING SOCIAL ISOLATION OF POLICE OFFICERS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A POLICE SUBCULTURE IS ALSO ANALYZED. DATA DERIVED FROM THE ATTITUDE INSTRUMENT IS ANALYZED AND COMPARED WITH DATA FROM OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND POPULATIONS. ANOMIA, THE MAJOR TYPE OF ALIENATION EXAMINED, IS ANALYZED AS A DEPENDENT, INDEPENDENT, AND INTERVENING VARIABLE. THE AUTHOR SUGGESTS THE FOLLOWING AS REASONS FOR POLICE ALIENATION: CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN CULTURAL GOALS (CRIME PREVENTION AND CRIMINAL APPREHENSION) AND INSTITUTIONAL MEANS (THE HIGH PERCENTAGE OF TIME SPENT ON SERVICE CALLS); THE NATURE OF A POLICE SUBCULTURE WHICH VIEWS THE COMMUNITY AND MASS MEDIA AS GENERALLY HOSTILE; FRUSTRATION RESULTING FROM THE HIGH AMOUNT OF SOCIAL SERVICE WORK INCLUDED IN THE POLICE OFFICER'S JOB; AND THE CAREER CAREER STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT, ESPECIALLY THE LACK OF PROVISIONS FOR LATERAL ENTRY. TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS, HE SUGGESTS AN INVENTORY OF POLICE OFFICER DUTIES AS A FIRST STEP IN CHANNELING SOCIAL SERVICES TO PERTINENT AGENCIES OR SPECIALLY-TRAINED UNITS OF POLICE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE FORCE ON THE SERGEANT RANK OR HIGHER, AS WELL AS RESOCIALIZATION (INCLUDING GRANTING OF SOCIAL STATUS) OF POLICEMEN.