NCJ Number
174542
Journal
Women and Criminal Justice Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: 1998 Pages: 69-79
Date Published
1998
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study explored possible differences between the male and female officers named in allegations of misconduct, with attention to the following areas: overall number of complaints; characteristics of the officers (age, race, and tenure); characteristics of the complaints; and characteristics of the citizen bringing the complaint.
Abstract
Data were collected from the internal affairs office of a large police department in the southeastern United States. To be considered for analysis, a citizen must have initiated contact with the agency and expressed the desire to file a formal complaint against a sworn officer. Over a 3-year period of analysis (1992-94), 527 complaints were filed. The 527 complaints involved 682 allegations of wrongdoing. The findings suggest that although women officers were less likely to be accused of misconduct, no significant difference was found in the type of complaint filed against male and female officers. Once an officer was accused of misconduct, both male and female officers were equally likely to be accused of misuse of force. Male and female officers named in citizen complaints did not differ significantly in age, length of service, initiation circumstance, or citizen characteristics. Due to study limitations, this research offers no conclusive answers, but the data do support the contention that women officers receive fewer citizen complaints of misconduct. This pattern is consistent with the findings of many previous studies. 4 tables and a 26-item bibliography