Verified Document

Criminal Justice - Police: Police Term Paper

"The critical test of the model involves individual status," she says, "the status of each officer vis-a-vis the partner" (p. 39). While everyone is probably familiar with the "good cop-bad cop" interrogation techniques used in motion pictures and television productions, this dichotomy of personalities is actually a standard characteristic of police personalities, although perhaps not to this degree or purpose (Gerber, 2001). Based on the status model of personality, there is a distinct "pecking order" in place in virtually all police departments across the country that helps initiate newcomers to the profession into the field; new recruits to the force will ignore this hierarchy at their peril. According to Gerber, the high-status officer in each partnership type will be perceived as having more instrumentally oriented (dominating and instrumental) traits and the low-status officer will be viewed as having more expressive traits. In addition, the status model predicts that officers' perceptions of their personality traits will be affected by group status -- the overall status of their partnership in relation to other kinds of partnerships (Gerber, 2001). In her review of Gerber's analysis, Monago (2003) suggests that this study showed that sex category and work experience played instrumental roles in personality adjustments. "For instance," Monago says, "her [Gerber's] data revealed that years of work experience or seniority was the most salient factor for the establishment of the senior and most instrumental police officer on same-sex police teams"; however, sex category represented the most salient category on male-female police teams as well as for outside observers, such as a police supervisor (2003, p. 195).

Conclusion

The research showed that men and women become police...

There are also some other compelling reasons involved in this decision that are as varied as the individual themselves, but the salient findings that emerged from the research suggest that most police officers in the United States today share the traits of desiring to help to others, a desire for the respect and dignity associated with the profession, and a fundamental desire to contribute to their communities.
References

Farr, J.L., Schuler, H., & Smith, M. (1993). Personnel selection and assessment: Individual and organizational perspectives. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Gerber, G.L. (2001). Women and men police officers: Status, gender, and personality. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Johnson, C.D., & Zeidner, J. (1991). The economic benefits of predicting job performance, Vol. 1. New York: Praeger Publishers.

Kurke, M.I., & Scrivner, E.M. (1995). Police psychology into the 21st century. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Laurence, J.H., Ramsberger, P.F., & Sellman, W.S. (1991). Low-aptitude men in the military: Who profits, who pays? New York: Praeger Publishers.

Lott, J.R. (2000). Does a helping hand put others at risk? Affirmative action, police departments, and crime. Economic Inquiry, 38(2), 247.

Monago, E.A. (2003). Women and men police officers: Status, gender, and personality. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 49(3-4), 195.

Pervin, L.A. (1990). A brief history of modern personality theory. In L.A. Pervin (Ed.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 3-18). New York: Guilford Press.

Sources used in this document:
References

Farr, J.L., Schuler, H., & Smith, M. (1993). Personnel selection and assessment: Individual and organizational perspectives. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Gerber, G.L. (2001). Women and men police officers: Status, gender, and personality. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Johnson, C.D., & Zeidner, J. (1991). The economic benefits of predicting job performance, Vol. 1. New York: Praeger Publishers.

Kurke, M.I., & Scrivner, E.M. (1995). Police psychology into the 21st century. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Criminal Justice Trends the Trends of the
Words: 1924 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Criminal Justice Trends The trends of the past, present and future that outline the borders connecting the criminal justice system components and their links adjoining the society is, beyond doubt, an authentic relationship that the law and society have established. Criminal justice has been affected by various trends in the times gone by. This is because trends keep changing with the passage of time. Therefore, it is exceedingly important for the

Criminal Acts and Choice Theory Plays and
Words: 1148 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Criminal Acts and Choice Choice theory plays and important aspect when accessing reasons contributing to criminal activities. The importance of the theory assist in coming up with strategies for reducing criminal activities. The importance of an understanding to the theory comes out from the contribution that the theory stands to give. It is vital to learn how the theory bears upon the chance that someone will take up or even attempt

Justice and Security Free Balance in the
Words: 2493 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Justice and Security Free Balance in the Administration of Justice and Security Justice and Security policies have always been at the center of international politics, but their nature has changed due to the advent of nuclear weapons and their proliferation, economic interdependence, the end of the Cold War, environmental problems, technological advancements and vulnerabilities, as well as other material and cultural developments typically linked to globalization. This paper will talk about the

Justice As Retribution
Words: 3724 Length: 12 Document Type: Research Paper

Justice as Retribution Every individual in the globe has a perception towards crime, justice, criminals, and many other aspects in relation to criminals. On hearing the term "criminal," every individual reacts differently. There are those who feel that a criminal deserves to die, others feel they should rot in prison and many other divergent views. However, does it ever occur that a criminal can be a criminal, through a legal process

Police Deviance and Integrity in
Words: 1631 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

This is when they will abide by these guidelines. The enforcement of these provisions will create a procedure for investigating offenses, protecting the rights of the accused and punishing those who violate the code of ethics. ("Police Officer Code of Ethics," 2004) (Berg, 1999) What makes this approach so unique is the department will function as an independent entity. This means that Internal Affairs will have the power to overrule

Police History Analyze the Relationship Between the
Words: 913 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Police History Analyze the relationship between the U.S. government and the policing organizations throughout the United States. The relationship between the U.S. government and policing organizations is loosely coordinated. This means that local agencies will determine what personnel they hire and how different resources are utilized. In some cases, the various departments work for specific entities such as: colleges / universities or transit departments. Evidence of this can be seen with observations

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now