Patrol Officer Perceptions of Agency Rewards and Punishments: A Research Note

Abstract

The theory of operant conditioning is based on the premise that people are motivated to engage in, or refrain from, certain behaviors because of the rewards and punishments they may receive (Honig 1966;Skinner 1974). While managers within law enforcement agencies frequently use both rewards and punishments to try to guide the behavior of their officers, little information exists about how police officers perceive the rewards and punishments they utilize. This study surveyed a sample of patrol officers to determine how they ranked the value of several specific rewards, and the severity of several specific punishments. The findings suggested that a hierarchy of rewards and punishments exists in the minds of law enforcement officers, the ranking seemed to be associated with how they could impact the officer's off-duty quality of life, and significant variation existed between officer responses. Interesting differences were also found by officer gender, tenure, and education.

Officer Attitudes and Management Influences on Police Work Productivity

“…Supervisors can use informal rewards such as granting days off, shift assignments, training opportunities, and making recommendations for specialty positions to entice officers to comply with their requests (Johnson 2009b;Van Maanen 1983). Supervisors can also occasionally perform the activities they expect of officers to emphasize what the officers should be doing.…”

The dynamic interaction between eyewitnesses and interviewers: The impact of differences in perspective on memory reports and interviewer behavior.

“…At their most basic level, these theories argue that people’s behavior is shaped by the likelihood of obtaining positive outcomes (e.g., Skinner, 1974). For example, some police officers have reported viewing shift choices as rewards, suggesting that the presence of an opportunity to select a desirable shift might encourage positive workplace behavior (Johnson, 2009). In the current context, the positive outcome is simply gaining the interviewer’s approval and believing oneself to be an effective witness.…”