NCJ Number
7251
Date Published
1967
Length
303 pages
Annotation
ORGANIZATIONAL AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF PREPARING RECRUITS FOR THE UNCERTAINTIES OF POLICE WORK IN THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Abstract
UNCERTAINTIES ARE THOSE STEMMING FROM QUESTIONS OF THE LEGALITY OF POLICE ACTIONS, THE LEVEL OF PRESTIGE ASSIGNED TO THE ROLE OF THE POLICE OFFICER, THE NATURE OF INTERPERSONAL STRATEGIES EFFECTIVE IN POLICE WORK AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS IN THE DEPARTMENT. THE SELFADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRES WERE GIVEN TO APPROXIMATELY 700 POLICE RECRUITS AT VARYING STAGES DURING THEIR FORMAL TRAINING IN THE POLICE ACADEMY AND AT PERIODS OF ONE AND TWO YEARS FOLLOWING THEIR GRADUATION. MANY GAINS MANAGED IN THE FORMAL TRAINING TENDED TO DISAPPEAR OR BE REVERSED IN THE FIELD WHERE CONDITIONS ARE OFTEN AT VARIANCE WITH THE CONTENT OF THE RECRUIT TRAINING PROGRAM. ANALYSIS OF THE MODEL FOR THE DEPARTMENT AND THE ACADEMY LEADS TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE MODEL IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE PERFORMANCE AT THE PATROLMAN LEVEL. THE ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN AN APPEARANCE OF CLOSE SUPERVISION AND THE USE OF NEGATIVE SANCTIONS SUBVERT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELFDIRECTING AND AUTONOMOUS POLICE OFFICERS. THE COEXISTENCE OF INFORMAL AND FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT CREATES A PROBLEM IN THE ROLE-LEARNING PROCESS FOR RECRUITS. POLICE INACTIVITY IS SEEN AS ONE OF THE RESULTS. ORGANIZATIONAL LOYALTY AND INNOVATION ARE SEEN AS PROBLEMS EXACERBATED IN THE TRAINING OF POLICE RECRUITS. THE IN-HOUSE TRAINING DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEMS IT APPEARS TO BE CAPABLE OF SOLVING.