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                            Library & Multimedia
 Police Officers' Attitudes, Behavior, and Supervisory Influences: An Analysis of Problem Solving
NCJ Number
              201191
Journal

*Criminology* Volume: 41 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2003 Pages: 131-166
Author(s)
          Robin Shepard Engel;
                        Robert E. Worden
Date Published

February 2003
Length
              36 pages
Annotation
              This study examined the impact of police officers’ and supervisors’ attitudes toward community-oriented policing on the amount of time police officers spend conducting problem-solving activities while on duty.
Abstract
              The authors analyzed data collected as part of the Project on Policing Neighborhoods (POPN) study in order to examine how perceived hierarchical controls influence police officers’ activities while on duty. Although the use of discretion is inherent in police work, a certain amount of constraint on that discretion is viewed as a necessary control mechanism in a democratic society. As such, the authors analyzed whether perceptions of supervisors’ attitudes and priorities would affect the way in which police officers conduct their work. The POPN study is a multi-method study, utilizing both direct observation and structured interviews with patrol officers and field supervisors, of police patrol in two police departments: Indianapolis, IN and St. Petersburg, FL. Analysis of the POPN data revealed that officers’ perceptions of their supervisors’ attitudes about problem-solving activities affected the amount of time officers devoted to these activities. The data further revealed that officers’ own attitudes toward community-oriented policing functions were unrelated to the amount of time spent on these activities while on duty. Officers’ attitudes were also found to be weakly correlated with their supervisors’ attitudes. However, the data indicated that in many cases, officers’ perceptions of their supervisors’ attitudes toward community-oriented policing were inaccurate. As such, the authors suggest that police administrators could have more control over police officer discretion by training field supervisors to clearly articulate their priorities for community policing and problem-solving police work. Table, references
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        95-IJ-CX-0071


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Study/Research)
    
  
  
Date Published: February 1, 2003
    
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Related Datasets
        
                      http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03160
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