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The Police Culture

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The Police Culture

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  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

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