published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Police suicide has been a largely under-researched topic with a small number of quantitative studies- that limit the exploration of potential causals models in the literature. This restricts current scholarly explanations behind officer suicide, furtheradding barriers to adequate prevention and detection. This study was focused on possible explanations behind police suicide, using Zhang's strain theory of suicide and Joiner's interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide to explain the variables used in the model. Using a moderation model, the research question asked to what extent an officer's education level affects the relationship between levels of police officer misconduct and risk for suicide. This study used archival data collected in a national study on law enforcement officers, partially funded by the National Institute of Justice and published in 1997(N=412). Logistic regression was used to analyze significance of the model, ultimately being unable to detect significance between the variables, neither individually on an officer's risk for suicide (officer misconduct= p>.05; officer education= p>.05) nor combined as an interaction to an officer's risk for suicide (p>.05). Recommendations for future research include utilizing a research design that better controls officer risk for suicide by equally weighing suicidal and nonsuicidal groups of officers. This will allow for a researcher to more validly compare the influence of the variables by viewing the effect on both groups (suicidal vs. non-suicidal). Implications for social change include contributing to the under-researched literature base of police suicide, increasing awareness of police suicide through scholarly publication and presentations, and advocating for better educated officers.

With the demands for efficiency and accuracy being placed on the police by the public, the law enforcement community must adapt to a higher standard. Most sheriff's and police chiefs assume that the more formal education that a police officer attains, the more effective and efficient the officer will become at serving the public in various ways. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of formal education on police officer's beliefs toward the public, their department's administrative policy and the practice of crime fighting in general. This study analyzed a group of deputy sheriffs, under the rank of lieutenant, in the Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Tazewell and Washington County Virginia Sheriff's Offices. The sample was divided into three groups - deputies with high school/GED, deputies with some college (1 to 2 years), and deputies with a college degree. Data were collected on a select group of law enforcement officers in Southwest Virginia by means of a survey instrument that was distributed to either the chief deputy or sheriff of each county. This study showed a weak correlation between education levels and police officer's attitudes toward personnel issues, public relations and crime fighting.

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基於體認警察教育計劃的重要性，進而探討警察教育計劃組織運作民主化、專業化、開放策略，計劃人員計劃能力、計劃意願等變項對計劃作業滿意度之關係，以期發現警察教育計劃之問題，探索並建構警察教育計劃之理想模式等機，本研究以內政部警政署教育組、人事室（一、二股）、法規室警佐一階高職序以上人員；中央警官學校講師（警正教師）以上之專任教職人員，及教務處、訓導處、大隊部警佐一階高職序以上人員；台灣警察專科學校講師（警佐教官）以上之專任教職人員，以教務處、訓導處、總隊部警佐一階高職序以上人員等合計三二四人為研究對象，進行實證調查研究。 本研究工具為研究者自編我國警察教育計劃組織運作民主化量表、組織運作專業化量表、組織開放策略量表、計劃成員計劃意願量表、計劃成員計劃能力量表、計劃作業程序評估滿意度量表、計劃作業實質評估滿意度量表等七種，為便於施測並避免無謂的心理效應，綜合上述七種量為「我國警察教育計劃現況調查問卷」，全份問卷計六十六題，約在三十分鐘內可完成填答。 本研究主要發現為： 一、個人特徵中，除年齡、職務、參與教育計劃次數等三項外，其餘各特徵在警察教育計劃各變上，大部份有顯著差異。 二、警察計劃組織運作及個人因素各變項間皆具有正相關存在。 三、不同的民主化程度、專業化程度、開放策略程度、計劃能力、計劃意願在計劃作業程序評估及實質評估滿意度量表上的得分差異皆顯著。 四、整體而言，警察教育計劃組織運作民主化程度、專業化程度、開放程度，計劃人員計劃能力、計劃意願都偏低；對警察教育計劃作業程序評估滿意度、實質評估滿意度也同樣偏低。 五、專業化、計劃意願、開放策略、民主化等四項對計劃作業程序評估滿意度的預測力合計達.69。開放策略、專業化等二項對計劃作業實質評估滿意度的預測力合計達.48。專業化、開放策略、民主化等三項對計劃作業滿意度的預測力合計達.64。 依據研究發現，本研究特別提出下列七項建設性的建議： 一、落實民主領導，鼓勵多元參與，促進意見溝通，以強化教育計劃組織運作民主化。 二、健全教育計劃組織，尊重專業人員的專業判斷與自主性，避免部屬對長官意見的絕對服從，或是長官的看法掩蓋了專業知識的權力，以強化教育計劃組織運作專業化。 三、徹底檢討未能有效因應社會變遷調整警察教育政策之現象，以建立組織開放系統觀念，進而主動察覺社會變遷，適時調整警察教育計劃作業頻率，以強化教育計劃組織開放策略。 四、有計畫的培育警察教育計劃人才，使之接受教育計劃訓練課程，培養卓越的計劃作業能力；實際從事教學，了解教學的需求或可能面臨的困境；歷練警察實務工作，以了解警察同仁實際的需求。 五、實施教育計劃組織運作民主化、專業化為基礎，並加強遴選優秀人才擔任教育計劃工作並拓展計劃人員升遷管道，以激勵教育計劃人員計劃意願。 六、建構以培育計劃人員計劃能力為前提，其次在教育計劃組織內部運作上加強民主化、專業人，以激勵計劃人員計劃意願，力求健全教育計劃歷程為重點，為外加強蒐集週邊環境變遷事象與趨勢，做前瞻性的警察教育計劃作業，以提升教育計劃品質為目前之警察教育計劃理想模式。 七、建議未來研究可採用他項警察教育計劃作業評估指標、採用實驗研究、教育計劃範圍予以分類研究等項。

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This thesis is about simulations in professional education and what they mean for developing professional knowing. When educating new police officers, using simulations is an integral part of the educational program. A starting point for the studies in this thesis was that not only the scenario but also the preparation and the debriefing, i.e. the situated activities, must be included. Another starting point was that activities and the individuals cannot be studied separately; both have to be included in the analyses. Two simulations, which were part of the Swedish police education program were studied. The approach was explorative and the methods used to collect data were observations, video-observations, interviews and surveys. The unit of analysis focused how students acted in and how they made sense of the simulation activities. The analytical process was influenced by a sociocultural and dialogical framework, in which learning is seen as a social activity. The thesis showed that using simulation in professional education is a complex endeavor in which the social aspects of simulating have to be acknowledged. The analyses showed that the situated activities of the simulation have to be linked to each other in way that enables the participants to; first, produce a situation with authenticity and second, to use previous experiences and coordinate them with new ones from the simulation in order to create good conditions for learning. This means acknowledging that the stance of a simulation needs to be longer than just the actual simulation. How they are embedded in the education program and how gaps in students knowing are to be bridged after the simulation, need to be considered. The main implication of the results is that the use of simulations in professional education require a specific simulation pedagogy. Some foundations of this are outlined and include; the fact that a simulated situation is a hybrid and never a mirror of a professional situation and also includes creating simulation competence among both teachers and students. This includes learning the “gaming rules” of simulating such as how to act in different roles, how to produce authenticity, what is to be included and what is to be ignored in order to make the scenario work. Simulation pedagogy also has to acknowledge that focus needs to be on how to support the participants’ learning and not assume that there is a direct connection between participation and learning. If all of these issues are considered in the design, the potential of simulations for developing professional knowing can be utilized. To conclude, this thesis shows that in the detailed study of scenarios, preparation and follow-up are important and draw attention to aspects that are central for understanding the conditions for learning in simulations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2002. / Title from title page screen, viewed February 23, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Phyllis McCluskey-Titus, Paul Baker (co-chairs), James Palmer, W. Garry Johnson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-150) and abstract. Also available in print.

Att poliser har förtroende för allmänheten, och vice versa, är viktigt för ett väl fungerande samarbete och ett framgångsrikt polisarbete. Uppfattningar relaterat till yrkesrollen och yrkesmässig kontakt med människor har visats förändras under utbildning i samband med praktikperioder och vidare i övergången till yrkesliv. Studier om polisens förtroende för allmänheten och hur detta eventuellt förändras saknas dock i en svensk poliskontext. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka uppfattningen om och förtroendet för allmänheten hos polisstudenter och verksamma poliser, samt att utforska eventuella gruppskillnader eller förändring över tid avseende detta. Syftet undersöktes genom två delstudier där deltagarna besvarade en enkät med frågor kring deras inställning till allmänheten. Delstudie 1 bestod av 219 deltagare och delstudie 2 av 357 deltagare, med cirka 30 % kvinnor i båda studierna. Inomgrupps- och mellangruppsdesign användes, med två-vägs-ANOVA och mixed between-within ANOVA som analysmetod. Resultatet visade att polisstuderande och verksamma poliser generellt hade en relativt neutral uppfattning om allmänheten. Resultatet gällande gruppskillnader visade att polisstudenter efter praktikperioden hade en mer negativ uppfattning om och ett lägre förtroende för allmänheten än verksamma poliser. Inga gruppskillnader mellan polisstudenter före och efter praktikperioden återfanns. Resultatet visade däremot en interaktionseffekt mellan tid och kön avseende förändring över praktikperioden. Kvinnliga polisstudenter tycktes ha en mer negativ uppfattning om och lägre förtroende för allmänheten efter praktikperioden jämfört med de manliga polisstudenterna som inte tycktes ha förändrat sin uppfattning. Vidare forskning behövs för att förstå varför och för att få säkrare resultat. Studien betonar vikten av att under polisutbildningen arbeta för att främja och synliggöra betydelsen av förtroende. Detta för att skapa bra förutsättningar för ett framgångsrikt polisarbete. / Establishing trust between the police and the public is vital for effective collaboration and successful policing. Perceptions related to the professional role and professional interactions with people have been shown to change during education, practical training periods, and in the transition to professional life. However, studies on the police's trust in the public and how this may change are lacking in a Swedish police context. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and trust levels toward the public among police students and police officers in Sweden, investigating potential group differences and changes over time. This was investigated through two sub-studies in which participants answered a survey with questions about their attitude toward the public. Sub-study 1 consisted of 219 participants, and sub-study 2 consisted of 357 participants, with approximately 30 % women in both studies. Within-group and between-group designs were used, with two-way ANOVA and mixed between-within ANOVA. The results showed that police students and police officers generally had a relatively neutral perception of the public. The results regarding group differences showed that after the practical training period, police students had a more negative perception of and lower trust in the public compared to police officers. No group differences between police students before and after the practical training period were found. However, the results showed an interaction effect between time and gender regarding changes over the practical training period. Female police students seemed to have a more negative perception of and lower trust in the public after the practical training period compared to male police students who did not seem to have changed their perception. Further research is needed to understand why and to obtain more reliable results. The study emphasizes the importance of working during police education to promote and highlight the significance of trust, creating favorable conditions for successful policing.