Police Culture, Women Police and Attitudes towards Misconduct

Abstract

It is Jrequently asserted that Jemale police cifficers are less likely than their male counterparts to engage in misconduct or to approve oj such behaviour by Jellow cfficer; This paper assesses the extent to which such assumptions hold true in the case oj Queensland police. The paper draws upon three sources oj data: attitudinal surveys administered to serving police officers, police-initiated complaints, and public complaints against police. Attitudinal data showedJew differences between male andJemale police officers in their views oj ethical conduct and the stated willingness to report a Jellow officer known to have behaved inappropriately. In addition, Jemale recruits were Jound to be as likely as males to modify their views once they have spent some time 'in thefield'. Attitudinal results were supported by the finding that, regardless oj gender, only a small number oj cifficers below the rank if Sergeant were willing to initiate complaints oj misconduct against a Jellow police officer. Complaints against police data showed male cifficers were more likely than Jemale officers to attract complaints, in particular, complaints oj assault. Overall, the findings question the argument that Jemale cifficers are inherently 'more ethical' in their outlook or that they are more willing to report misconduct than their male counterparts. While Jemale police officers may not be inherently more ethical, their employment has some important organisational advantages, such as enabling a reduction in complaints, particularly those relating to the use oj Jorce, and a reinJorcement if the principles if community policing.

An exploration of crime by policewomen

“…Previous studies show male officers are more likely to be charged with serious misconduct (Timmins & Hainsworth, 1989), engage in more use of force (McElvain & Kposowa, 2008;Peak & Glensor, 1996;Rabe-Hemp, 2008a, 2008b, and are subject to more citizen complaints (Hickman, Piquero, & Greene, 2000;Waugh, Ede, & Alley, 1998). Fyfe and Kane (2006) found male New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were more likely to be fired for bribery, but found no other differences in other profit-oriented misconduct.…”

Network exposure and excessive use of force

“…When compared with their male counterparts, female officers tend to be less aggressive in their role. Findings from prior research indicate that female officers are less likely to be involved in use of force complaints (Waugh, Ede, & Alley, ) or to use physical force (Bazley, Lersch, & Mieczkowski, ; Rabe‐Hemp & Schuck, ) and weapons (Hoffman & Hickey, ) in police–citizen encounters. Moreover, female officers initiate fewer citizen encounters, make fewer arrests (Bloch & Anderson, ; Morash & Greene, ), are subject to fewer citizen complaints (Brandl et al., ; Chappell & Piquero, ; Greene, Piquero, Hickman, & Lawton, ), and are less likely to be the subjects of excessive force complaints (Adams, ; Brandl et al., ).…”

Drug testing sworn law enforcement officers: One agency's experience

“…This was somewhat of an interesting finding, suggesting that drug involvement might be different than other forms of police misconduct. A fairly consistent trend over the years was that female officers had lower levels of involvement in a variety of deviant behaviors and were subject to fewer disciplinary actions than their male peers (Hale, 2002;Hale & Wyland, 1993;Lersch, 1998;Waugh, Ede, & Alley, 1998). Drug involvement did not seem to follow this pattern.…”