Officers' Response to Community Policing: Variations on a Theme

Abstract

Few evaluations of community policing consider the program's effect on officers' attitudes about community policing or job satisfaction. The mixed results we do have are difficult to synthesize for numerous reasons, including the substantial variation in program design and implementation. This article examines variations in officers' attitudes across three different community policing programs in one department, using 11 scales for community police attitudes and 5 scales for job satisfaction. The programs varied in their design and length of implementation. Although the data are not conclusive, they suggest that officers' attitudes were influenced by both contextual factors and program variations.

Distinguishing organizational from strategy commitment: Linking officers' commitment to community policing to job behaviors and satisfaction

“…Strategy-related behavior was assessed using a seven-item scale measuring the frequency of communitypolicing activities identified in the law enforcement literature, such as attending youth programs, working to solve problems in the comreunify, and making presentations to community groups (Brown & Wycoff, 1987;Greene, 1987;Rosenbaum et al, 1994;Wilson & Bennett, 1994). The participants responded using a 5-point Likert scale with anchors ranging from frequently to never (a = .87).…”

“…Researchers have also examined the impact of departmental-level factors on officers' job satisfaction and on-the-job behavior, such as the level of participatory management practices (Wycoff & Skogan, 1994), the amount of training provided (Rosenbaum et at., 1994), and the relationship between officers and their supervisors (Wilson & Bennett, 1994).…”

“…Some studies have shown positive effects on job attitudes (Rosenberg et al, 1994;Wycoff & Skogan, 1993), while other studies have shown negative effects (e.g., Greene & Decker, 1989). Still others have found that the impact of community policing on officers' attitudes is contingent on the nature of the work environment or contextual factors, such as existing community-police relations and the perceived support for proactive policing by top administrators (Wilson & Bennett, 1994).…”

Police–Advocacy Partnerships in Response to Domestic Violence

“…Studies have shown that when officers feel competent in community policing efforts, and acknowledged for these efforts by the community, they have the highest job satisfaction (Wilson & Bennett, 1994). Increased officer morale and feeling part of an important program and approach to a public health problem like domestic violence are significant outcomes in and of themselves.…”

South Korean business owners' perceptions of community policing in the Baltimore City

“…Although there are subtle differences among police organizations in understanding community policing, the common denominator for all community policing is strengthening harmony between police and its community. Wilson and Bennett (1994) suggested that, to strengthen the harmony between police and its community, police departments should consider the contextual factors surrounding officers' attitudes toward communities and that departmental programs for community policing must be designed with communities rather than solely designing at the departmental level.…”