The Effect of Work Environment on Levels of Police Cynicism: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The police are popularly characterized as the “thin blue line,” a cynical group alienated from their administration and the community they serve. Cynicism is seen as arising out of the conflict between what constables are expected to do by their administration and what they can realistically be expected to accomplish in the field. In this study, the authors develop an explanatory model using eight constructs from the cynicism literature and three constructs relating to the constables' working environment. Data for the analysis of the model are obtained from police archives, a survey of constables, and 9 months of field observation. The findings suggest that the model does not adequately account for variations in level of cynicism. Analysis of the observational data suggests that the inclusion of variables tapping the organization's internal and external political environments would provide substantial insight into constables'cynicism.

The validity of Niederhoffer's cynicism scale

“…Finally, although the results indicated that race and length of service were important determinants of cynicism, there remains little consensus about the determinants of police cynicism more generally (Langworthy, 1987), and no single set of determinants shown to have explanatory power across populations in particular (Bennett & Schmitt, 2002). Future efforts should attempt to further understand the correlates of cynicism and whether these correlates vary over the course of an officer's career.…”

“…With respect to the different locale research question, only limited research has studied location and size differences as they related to different policing functions (Brooks & Piquero, 1998). It may be that cynicism operates differently in different cities, countries, and police agencies and such knowledge would be useful for police burn-out prevention tactics (Bennett & Schmitt, 2002).…”

“…The measurement of police cynicism has varied greatly over time (Bennett & Schmitt, 2002) with scholars investigating the validity and reliability of Niederhoffer's scale and variations thereof (Anson, Mann, & Sherman, 1986;Langworthy, 1987;Rafky, 1975;Regoli, 1976). Regoli's (1976) analysis in particular provided much of the impetus for subsequent validation research.…”

Dirty Harry and the station queens: a Mertonian analysis of police deviance

“…According to Bennett and Schmitt (2002), soon after joining the police service, officers realise that they are not in a position to bring about permanent reductions in criminal activity. The problem, officers argue, is the system's 'revolving door', which appears to release offenders as quickly as they are apprehended (Moskos 2009).…”

Darwin Meets the King: Blending Sociology and Evolutionary Psychology to Explain Police Deviance

“…Second, the extent to which other criminal justice organizations are willing and/or able to corroborate due process while meeting officers' perceived standards of justice varies significantly. In fact, many officers contend the system fails to prosecute, convict, and sentence offenders adequately (Belur ; Goldschmidt and Anonymous ; see also Bennett and Schmitt ). Finally, not all communities are willing or able to cooperate with police in the fight against crime (Chettleburgh ; Herbert ).…”