Taking stock: Toward a richer understanding of police culture

    Authors

    E. A. Paoline

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Crim. Justice

    Keywords

    SUBCULTURE; Criminology & Penology

    Abstract

    Police researchers have long speculated on the importance that culture plays in the everyday functioning of officers. Most characterizations of police culture focus on describing the various elements and facets of a single phenomenon among occupational members (e.g., group loyalty, crime fighter image, organizational tension with supervisors, etc.). Little work has been done in synthesizing what we "know" about this occupational culture, as textbook depictions highlight broad generalizations that tend to differ from text to text. A conceptual model of the police occupational culture is presented here that explains its causes, prescriptions, and outcomes. This monolithic model is then critiqued based on research that highlights the complexity of culture, noting variation across organizations and within by rank and style. The article also assesses the ways in which police culture thought is beginning to change, as departments diversify demographically and philosophically. The article concludes with recommendations for future studies of police culture. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Criminal Justice

    Volume

    31

    Issue/Number

    3

    Publication Date

    1-1-2003

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    199

    Last Page

    214

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000182832100001

    ISSN

    0047-2352

    Share

    COinS