PERCEPTIONS OF THE POLICE ORGANIZATION - A SOCIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

• NCJ Number: 27930
• Author(s): P N MORRISON; C D HALE
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 26 pages
• Grant Number(s): 73-TA-06-0004; 73-DF-06-0053
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: University of Oklahoma
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; University of Oklahoma
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

AS PART OF A LARGER STUDY OF ASSAULTS ON POLICE CONDUCTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, THIS STUDY EXPLORES THE SIGNIFICANCE OF AN OFFICERS' PERCEPTIONS OF HIS POLICE AGENCY AS A VARIABLE IN THE STUDY OF ASSAULTS.

Abstract

THE AGENCIES SELECTED FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS STUDY WERE THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA; ABILENE, TEXAS; AND GALVESTON, TEXAS. HEMPHILL'S INDEX OF GROUP DIMENSIONS DESCRIPTION QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SUBMITTED TO MEMBERS OF EACH AGENCY; STATISTICS ON ASSAULTS WERE ALSO COLLECTED. BOTH INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND INTRADEPARTMENTAL ANALYSES ARE USED. IN GENERAL, IT WAS FOUND THAT THOSE OFFICERS WHO HAVE A LOWER OPINION OF THEIR AGENCIES ALSO HAVE A HIGHER ASSAULT RATE. THIS FINDING SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS HAVING ANY PREDICTIVE POWER; THE RESULTS MERELY INDICATE THAT AN OFFICER'S PERCEPTION OF HIS ORGANIZATION MAY ASSIST IN EXPLAINING THAT OFFICER'S POTENTIAL TO BE ASSAULTED. FOR OTHER REPORTS OF THE POLICE ASSAULTS STUDY, SEE NCJ-27926, 27927, 27929, 27932, 27862, 27863, 27864, 27867.(AUTHOR ABSTRACT)