1 / 18

The Police Culture

lester
Télécharger la présentation

The Police Culture

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. “I’ll tell ya, as long as we’re the only son-of-a-bitches that have to handle ripe bodies that have been dead for 9 days in a 90 degree room, or handle skid row drunks who’ve been crapping their pants for 24 hours… then we’ll never be like anyone else. As far as I can see, no one else is ever gonna want to do that shit. But somebody’s gotta do it and I guess it’ll always be the police. But hell, this is the only profession where yagotta wash your hands before you take a piss!” -A young patrolman from the Seattle PD (1976)

  2. The Police Culture The Human Perspective

  3. INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT Environment Coping Mechanism Outcome • Occupational • Danger • Authority Suspiciousness Maintain Edge Social Isolation Loyalty Stress • Organizational • Supervisor Scrutiny • Role Ambiguity Lay low / CYA Crime Fighter Orientation

  4. Occupational Culture What is it? • Accepted practices, rules, principles of conduct, beliefs, etc. that are developed and transmitted across members as means of coping with a variety of tasks and problems that arise in a given occupation. What is this important? • Barrier to both reform & accountability

  5. Occupational Environment Danger • “hypervigilance” Authority • Back to Bittner: coercive authority key aspect of police role • “license to threaten drastic harm to others”

  6. Organizational Environment Supervisor Scrutiny • Unpredictable (counterpart to danger) • Punitive (“punishment centered bureaucracy”) Role Ambiguity • 3 roles: crime control, service, order maintenance • Only crime control gets reinforced/rewarded

  7. STRESS!

  8. Coping Mechanisms • Suspiciousness • Helps deal with uncertainty • Applies to both citizens and new officers (2) Maintaining the edge • Helps deal with danger (3) Cover Your Ass • Helps deal with supervisor scrutiny (4) Crime fighter orientation • Helps deal with role ambiguity

  9. Culture Transmission How? • Starts at the academy (“war stories”) • Continues during probationary period w/FTO, peers, and immediate supervisors “Reality Shock” • What officers leaned at the academy is of little value in guiding day-to-day behavior • Officers look for guidance from veteran colleagues

  10. Outcomes Social Isolation • “We” vs. “Them” Loyalty • “Blue wall of silence” • Somewhat overstated now

  11. Back to Systems Theory • The police culture is an emergent system • The police culture has important effects on: productivity, satisfaction, and growth

  12. Key Question Is there a single police culture? • Yes and No Yes: • Similar occupational characteristics result in similar values, beliefs, outlooks, etc. No: • Police values are not uniform or static • Timing of research (1960s – present) and changes in policing

  13. Levels of Analysis Occupational Culture Organizational Culture Rank Culture Typologies / Styles

  14. Organizational Culture 3 different cultures: • Legalistic: focused on crime fighting • Watchman: focused on order maintenance • Service: focused on (surprise!) service • Emphasizes top administrator’s and their ability to influence culture

  15. Rank Culture • Street cops vs. Management cops Street cops: • Culture of patrol personnel • Same tenents as occupational culture Management cops • Culture of supervisory personnel • Focused on crime control via traditional model

  16. Officer Types/Styles • Highlights individualism of police officers • “Craft” of policing: officers learn by personal experience and develop their own styles. • Styles may or may not be in accordance with occupational or organizational culture Key implication: officers adapt to work environment in different ways

  17. Example: Brown’s Typology Aggressiveness: taking initiative on the street to control crime, and the preoccupation with order that legitimizes the use of illegal tactics Selectivity: the belief that all laws should be enforced insofar as possible, and those who consciously assign felonies a higher priority

  18. Reminder Journal 1 due Wednesday! (start of class) Should include 7 entries: • Textbook chapters: 1, 5, 6, 8, & 11 • Wiki readings: Bittner & Paoline Next class: Chapter 11 • Talk about strategic management

More Related