This study investigated police integrity in the
Philadelphia Police Department (PPD). Its primary goal was to identify
risk factors for negative police behaviors and outcomes using
information readily available to the department. The PPD, like most
large police agencies, collects a lot of information on officers, both
before their appointment and in their work assignments. It was
anticipated that this information could be used to inform the
recruiting, screening, selection, and monitoring processes without
creating a large data collection burden. This study involved a
detailed consideration of individual officer characteristics, such as
background history and academy performance. The study also aimed to
collect information not readily available to the department (via
surveys and interviews) that could help explain negative officer
behavior.
Part 1, Academy and Background Data, contains
background information and academy records data for 1,949 Philadelphia
Police Department (PPD) officers from 17 academy classes for the years
1991 to 1998. Background data were obtained through the Personal Data
Questionnaire (PDQ), which the PPD administers to academy applicants
who pass the entrance examination. Data are also provided for other
stages of the application/training process. Applicants had to pass a
polygraph, which they had two chances to do. Applicants were also
subjected to medical and psychological exams. In the academy, recruits
went through several training and evaluation phases for which numerous
exams were taken. Recruits were also subject to a disciplinary code
specific to the academy. Data on police officer misconduct after
graduation were obtained from databases maintained by the PPD Internal
Affairs Division (IAD) and the Police Board of Inquiry (PBI) and
departmental personnel files. The IAD granted access to their files
concerning Complaints Against Police (CAPS), internal investigations
(other than those for CAPS), and Use of Force Complaints. The PBI
database contained information regarding charges and subsequent
disciplinary actions for violations of the Department's Disciplinary
Code. Part 2, Survey Data, contains data collected in 2000 on the
attitudes of a sample of 499 PPD officers. The instrument included two
scaled measures. Twenty items on the survey comprised Regoli's (1976)
modification of Niederhoffer's (1967) cynicism scale, a measure of
police officer cynicism and distance from police supervisors, the
police department, and the public at large. Another 15 items comprised
a modified version of Krejei et al.'s (1996) attitudes toward ethics
scale. This scale measured agreement with statements related to
behaviors generally considered inappropriate for the police.
Part 1: inap. Part 2: A simple random sample was selected
from the January 2000 population of 3,810 patrol officers.
Part 1: Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) officers who
were in the PPD academy between 1991 and 1998. Part 2: PPD patrol
officers in January 2000.
Individuals.
Part 1 data were obtained from Philadelphia Police
Department (PPD) administrative records. Data for Part 2 were obtained
through a survey of PPD officers.
Variables in Part 1 include identifying
information, family background, residence history, education history,
employment history, credit history, military record, driving history,
criminal history, and drug use history. Variables are also provided
for polygraph results, scores on medical and psychological exams and
academy exams, disciplinary actions in the academy, types of
misconduct as an officer, and whether the officer was ever disciplined
by the department. Variables in Part 2 include answers to the survey
items. These include variables that measure officer cynicism, distance
from supervisors, the department, and the public, and attitudes toward
ethics.
Part 2: Of the 504 officers chosen for the sample,
five refused to participate.
Scales include Regoli's (1976) modification of
Niederhoffer's (1967) cynicism scale, a modified version of Krejei et
al.'s (1996) attitudes toward ethics scale, and several Likert-type
scales.