Showing 1 – 2 of 2 results.
Curated
Police Corruption in Thirty Agencies in the United States, 1997 (ICPSR 2629)
Released/updated on: 2005-11-04
Geographic coverage: United States
This study examined police officers' perceptions of and tolerance for corruption. In contrast to the popular viewpoint that police corruption is a result of moral defects in the individual police officer, this study investigated corruption from an organizational viewpoint. The approach examined the ways rules are communicated to officers, how rules are enforced by supervisors, including sanctions for violation of ethical guidelines, the unspoken code against reporting the misconduct of a fellow officer, and the influence of public expectations about police behavior. For the survey, a questionnaire describing 11 hypothetical scenarios of police misconduct was administered to 30 police agencies in the United States. Specifically, officers were asked to compare the violations in terms of seriousness and to assess the level of sanctions each violation of policies and procedures both should and would likely receive. For each instance of misconduct, officers were asked about the extent to which they supported agency discipline for it and their willingness to report it. Scenarios included issues such as off-duty private business, free meals, bribes for speeding, free gifts, stealing, drinking on duty, and use of excessive force. Additional information was collected about the officers' personal characteristics, such as length of time in the police force (in general and at their agency), the size of the agency, and the level of rank the officer held.
Curated
Production and Consumption of Research in Police Agencies in the United States, 1989-1990 (ICPSR 6315)
Released/updated on: 1997-02-13
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1989-01-01--1990-01-01
The purpose of this study was to describe the dynamics of police research, how the role and practice of research differ among police agencies, and why this appears to happen. This study also attempts to answer, on a national scale, four fundamental questions: (1) What is police research? (2) Who does it? (3) Why is it done? and (4) What impact does it have? In addition to describing the overall contours of the conduct of research in United States police agencies, this study also sought to explore the organizational dynamics that might contribute to understanding the different roles research plays in various types of police organizations. Questionnaires were mailed in 1990 to 777 sheriff, municipal, county, and state police agencies selected for this study, resulting in 491 surveys for analysis. Respondents were asked to identify the extent to which they were involved in each of 26 distinct topic areas within the past year, to specify the five activities that consumed most of their time during the previous year, and to describe briefly any projects currently being undertaken that might be of interest to other police agencies. A second approach sought to describe police research not in terms of the topics studied but in terms of the methods police used to study those topics. A third section of the questionnaire called for respondents to react to a series of statements characterizing the nature of research as practiced in their agencies. A section asking respondents to describe the characteristics of those responsible for research in their agency followed, covering topics such as to whom the research staff reported. Respondent agencies were also asked to evaluate the degree to which various factors played a role in initiating research in their agencies. Finally, questions about the impact of research on the police agency were posed.