Perceptions Of Officers Research Articles

“Lights and Sirens”: Variation in 911 Call‐Taker Risk Appraisal and its Effects on Police Officer Perceptions at the Scene

AbstractUntil now, 911 dispatch centers largely have been the “black box” of the criminal justice system. This article opens that black box. It documents systematically a new mechanism in the policing process: the degree to which a 911 call‐taker's “alarmist” response to a call primes police officer perceptions at the scene. This study leverages the quasi‐random assignment of 911 call‐takers to calls and employs an instrumental variable approach novel to dispatch. The author focuses her analysis on call‐for‐service data (N = 20,764) involving mental health crises and public assaults—strategic sites for the investigation of call‐taker discretion—from a dispatch center in Southeast Michigan and finds a statistically significant difference in the propensity of call‐takers to classify the same types of calls as “high priority.” This variation, in turn, affects police perceptions. Calls for which call‐taker assignment induces a high priority classification are about three times more likely to be classified as high priority by the police at the scene, relative to the mean of the dependent variable. Effects are strongest for calls involving mental health crises. The theoretical developments and empirical results presented here point to new areas for policy reform for policymakers and practitioners regarding the importance of training 911 call‐takers in call triage and diversion.

Self-Efficiency Perceptions of Religious Officials Working in the Field of Social Work

Türkiye’de sosyal hizmet bağlamında manevi/dini destek ve rehberlik olarak ortaya çıkan din eğitimi ve din hizmetleri uygulamaları, Sağlık Bakanlığı, Adalet Bakanlığı, Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığı, Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı ve Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı ile Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (DİB) arasında gerçekleştirilen protokollerle yürütülmektedir. Bu araştırma, Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığının çeşitli sosyal hizmet alanlarında görevlendirilen din görevlilerinin öz yeterlik algıları üzerinedir. Din görevlilerinin, öz yeterlik algılarının araştırma konusu yapılması, onların mesleki gelişimlerine yönelik tespitler yapmaktan, hedef kitlenin ihtiyaçlarına cevap verecek din eğitimi ve hizmetleri eğitim programları geliştirmeye kadar geniş bir alanda çalışmak gerektiğini açığa çıkarmak bakımından önemlidir. Bu çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırma, Kırıkkale ilinde Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığı hizmet alanlarında din eğitimi ve hizmeti vermek üzere görevlendirilen din görevlileriyle gerçekleştirilen görüşmeler çerçevesinde yapılandırılmıştır. Yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme sorularıyla alanda çalışan din görevlilerinden elde edilen bulgular iki tema halinde değerlendirilmiştir: Görevlilerin öz yeterlik algıları ve hedef kitlenin ihtiyacı. Bu çalışmanın ulaştığı temel sonuç şöyledir: Sosyal hizmet kurumlarının hedef kitlesi ve ihtiyaçlarının farklılaşmasına bağlı olarak din görevlilerinin yeterlikleri de farklılaşmaktadır. Din görevlilerinin farklılaşan yeterlikler çerçevesinde eğitime ihtiyaçları vardır. Bu çalışmanın temel önerisi şöyledir: Sosyal hizmet kurumlarındaki din hizmetlerini yürütenler için ihtiyaç odaklı ve değer temelli eğitim programları geliştirilebilir.

Perception of Law Enforcement Officers on Preventing Road Traffic Injury in Vanuatu: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) cause approximately 1. 35 million deaths annually, and is the leading cause of death among people between ages 5 and 29. Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) deal with Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs) and have contact with RTI victims at a daily basis, they possess an excellent perspective on preventing RTI. This study aimed to explore LEOs perceptions on risk factors and preventive measures of RTI in Vanuatu.Methods: This study employed qualitative methods that used Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) to gather data from 25 LEOs between October 14th and November 30th, 2020. Self-identified Ni-Vanuatu LEOs who have been serving for over 6 months and residing at the study setting were included in this study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit study participants from three municipalities in Vanuatu. A semi-structured open ended questionnaire was designed to guide the FGDs. Data obtained were sorted out using thematic analysis processed with some preconceived themes based on theory, and also allowing the data to determine new themes.Results: Data saturation was reached from conducting 5 FGDs with 25 LEOs who were traffic officers and municipal wardens. Five main themes and sixteen subthemes were generated from the study. The main themes include driving and alcohol, the challenges to effective enforcement, barriers to effective care and support for RTI victims, measures for road traffic control and promoting road traffic safety. The respondents perceived that addressing resources issues and the legislations on road traffic control act and vehicle regulation act will enhance prevention of RTI.Conclusion: This study explored the risk factors of RTI and the barriers to effectively prevent RTI in Vanuatu. The study also generated suggestions of a combination of road traffic control measures that could be implemented to prevent RTI. Future research should look at effective strategies of preventing RTIs in resource deficit settings.

Law Enforcement Officers’ Reaction on Traditional Crimes to Fight Cybercrime Locally

Cybercrime has become one of the fastest-growing concerns for law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and municipal levels. This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of nine law enforcement officers from Texas regarding combating cybercrime at the local level. The study focuses on how do law enforcement officers who respond to traditional crimes describe law enforcement agencies’ preparedness to fight cybercrime locally. Data collection consisted of semistructured interviews, where member-checking helped to enhance trustworthiness. The results from this study helped fill the gap in the literature regarding the unknown perceptions of law enforcement officers responding to cybercrimes at the local level. This study also focused on the behaviors of the participants regarding responding to cybercrimes. Participants indicated that law enforcement agencies take cybercrime seriously; however, cybercrimes are not a high priority for law enforcement at the local level. Participants also provided challenges that local law enforcement agencies face in cybercrime investigations locally.

Perceptions of Local Government Fiscal Health and Fiscal Stress: Evidence From Quantile Regressions With Michigan Municipalities and Counties

This study applies insights from open systems theory to explore how the perceptions of local officials can enhance our understanding of local government fiscal health—in particular, to understand differences between healthy and distressed jurisdictions. With a sample of local governments in Michigan from 2013 to 2019, we use quantile regression to investigate associations between subjective financial condition measures and objective indicators. The results show that these relationships are often more muted for lower-stress governments and more pronounced for higher-stress governments, a pattern that is not accounted for by traditional methods of measuring financial condition. The findings demonstrate the utility of open systems theory and quantile regression techniques to improve understanding of the financial condition and suggest that in order to avoid overlooking cases of fiscal distress, policymakers and analysts should incorporate these approaches into methods for diagnosing local fiscal health.

Training the Environmental Military Police in the State of São Paulo for science-based assessment of animal mistreatment

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to analyze the perception of police officers within the Environmental Military Police of the State of São Paulo about animal abuse occurrences and to implement the Protocol for Expert Report in Animal Welfare (PERAW) as guidance for the first approach to complaint cases related to animal mistreatment. 608 officers filled a pre-implementation questionnaire, followed by a training for PERAW use, and filled a post-implementation questionnaire after two months of Protocol use; these last two were accomplished by only 200 officers. Feeding and water inadequacies were quoted as the condition most easily identified as maltreatment. After training, more officers mentioned two and three animal welfare segments of physical, behavioral, and mental aspects. The concept of sentience was known by a significant higher number of officers after training. Officers reported that the main PERAW advantage was that it enabled greater discrimination and more appropriate assessment of occurrences, besides providing a technical basis to the assessments. Overall, PERAW implementation provided some guidance for a first approach to animal mistreatment cases; however, continued training may provide further improvement.

Influence of Awareness and Education on Management of Covid-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: Perception of Information Professionals in Ogun State

The catastrophic consequences on the civilization of covid-19 pandemic are obvious on all human endeavours, including information services of academic libraries. Several measures were put in place and funded by the government at all levels to manage the pandemic in Nigeria among which is the closure of all educational institutions in the country. Information professionals in tertiary institutions have become worried about their users' safety and well-being; hence the need to provide awareness and educate them on covid-19 as means to manage the pandemic. The quantitative design using the survey method was employed to determine the perceptions of information professionals, librarians and library officers in academic libraries in Ogun State, South west Nigeria on awareness and education services to manage covid-19. The study revealed that information professionals were reasonably aware of the covid-19 pandemic; had an appreciable level of awareness of signs with system of spreading covid-19 and; they had a good understanding of measures on how to manage covid-19. The Health Belief Theory was used to ascertain that if the respondents are aware of the danger of any disease they will prevent or take precautionary measures. The respondents believed that awareness of and education on covid-19 would educate users and the public on the signs and ways of spreading the virus. Besides, mobile phone services for sending bulk messages were identified as major means of informing and educating users on covid-19. The study concluded that awareness and education services for user-populace of academic libraries can be used for effective information management concerning covid-19 virus in Nigeria.

Peculiarities of the police officer's profession image in their attitude

Aspects of choosing a profession and career planning are closely related to the description of the features of the image of the profession, otherwise known as the image of the profession. The choice of profession is an essential part of life, which has a significant influence upon the person and their further occupation. Furthermore, the choice of profession and job is related to the satisfaction of financial, social and personal needs. Therefore, it is very important that the choice of profession is as accurate as possible and that the profession evokes a strong feeling of vocation. A career develops accordingly, if a person is satisfied with the job and one’s current expectations meet the current situation, then the career development is successful and thrives as individually sought. For a career to follow a successful developing process it is vital to meticulously systematize the characteristics of a particular profession that would help to decide whether one wants to choose it not. Due to these reasons whilst researching the police officer’s image it is crucial to assess the point of view of current police officers in regard to the officer’s image. Correspondingly, the purpose of the article is evoked - to reveal the perception of police officers of the image of their profession. To achieve it, the concept of choosing a profession is discussed, emphasizing the importance of vocation and the path of professional development - career; the change in the attitude of police officers about the image of their profession and its factors are determined. The hypotheses are confirmed disparately. After an empirical study, the first hypothesis - the average of the respondents' assessment of the current attitude towards the characteristics of the police officer profession is statistically significantly different from the attitude before choosing this profession - was confirmed. The second hypothesis was only partly confirmed. It was revealed that the average assessment of the characteristics of the police profession for both men and women decreases depending on the degree of the police officer.

Perception about Importance of Buccal Corridor and its Width in Smile Esthetics

Aim: To assess the perception of dental students and house officers regarding role of buccal corridor in smile esthetics and to determine the most esthetically pleasing buccal corridor width. Methods: A photograph of the patient’s face, smiling with the teeth visible up to the first molar was modified digitally to create smiles with no buccal corridor, increasing buccal corridors widths of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20 % and 25% respectively compared with the width of inner oral commissure. A total of 376 dental students and HOs participated in the study and data was collected in questionnaires. Results: Buccal corridor is considered to affect the smile esthetics of an individual by 72.4% of house officers, 67.6% of second year students, 48.7% of 3rd year students and 52.4% of fourth year students(P value: 0.002). Visibility of around 5-10% of buccal corridor was considered most esthetically pleasing, however, the result was not significant. Conclusion: Buccal corridor is an important component in smile esthetics considered by students and house officers of dental colleges. Buccal corridor width of 5-10 % was considered most esthetically pleasing among participants. Keywords: Buccal corridor, Esthetics, perception

Workers needed to foster improved academic performance: Perspectives of social workers and education officers in Ghana

This study examines the perceptions of social welfare and education officers in Ghana about school social work practice and its possible contributions to improving academic performance at the basic level of education. Qualitative data were collected through two focus group discussions with social workers and education officers. Participants expressed views that school social work interventions are needed to strengthen the bond between the home and the school, help students deal with psycho-social problems, and reduce the burden on teachers. Suggestions were also made on the best ways to foster the practice of school social work in Ghana. Theses coalesced around three core themes: active engagement of stakeholders, a robust funding mechanism to develop and sustain social work interventions in schools, and a long-term agenda to train and recruit more school social workers.

PERCEPTIONS OF THE FARMERS AND FISHERY EXTENSION OFFICERS ON CLIMATE CHANGE PARAMETERS AFFECTING AQUACULTURE

Actors involved in promoting aquaculture have very rarely taken into account the perceptions of practicing farmers on climate change parameters and their mitigating measures as an adaptation strategy. Study establishes a significant positive relationship (Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient, ‘ρ’ = 0.60, p<0.01) between perceptions of farmers and fishery extension officers (FEOs) on various climate change parameters affecting aquaculture. A sample of 368 farmers and 102 FEOs was selected from 11 states in India using stratified random sampling method with proportional allocation during 2008-09 to 2011-12. Out of 30 climate change parameters perceived both by farmers and FEOs; rising atmospheric temperature, deforestation, increase in water pollution, increase in CO2 level in atmosphere, extreme summer, silt deposition on the river/canal bed and increase in obnoxious gas are the major parameters affecting aquaculture. As the FEOs are over-burdened with routine official work along with other non-core activities, they are able to guide the farmers neither in time nor on the spot. Study suggests that without waiting for FEOs, the farmers can proceed independently in adapting relevant mitigating measures against various climate change risks. The planning for aquaculture projects should be based not only on technical aspects but also social aspects like perceptions of the practicing farmers. Key words: Climate change, aquaculture, perception, Spearman rank correlation coefficient

EVALUATION OF DISABILITY MAINSTREAMING STATUS IN SELECTED PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS AND EMPLOYMENT INSTITUTIONS IN LIBERIA

Purpose: The purpose of the study sought to evaluate the status of disability mainstreaming policy in education in selected public high schools and public employment institutions in Liberia.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: The research design incorporates both quantitative and qualitative methods. Purposive sampling was used to select 125 respondents from students with disabilities, principals, human resource directors, employees with disabilities from public employment institutions and representatives from Persons with disabilities organizations. Quantitative data was collected through electronic data collection tools (Kobo/ Survey CTO) and transferred in Excel spreadsheets for descriptive analysis and comparison. Qualitative data was collected through key informant interviews and analyzed according to themes.&#x0D; Results: The study established that although there are disability mainstreaming policies at public high schools and employment institutions there is limited awareness and understanding of these policies among students and employees with disabilities. Moreover, there was no defined disability mainstreaming strategies to serve as a benchmark to determine the success or failure of implementation. Findings also showed that persons with disabilities were still finding it difficult to secure employment since the 4% disability quota mandated by the government to enhance the employability of persons with disabilities is not adhered to by government institutions. Further analysis indicated that the perception of principals and human resource officers can reinforce barriers to mainstreaming disability in public high schools and employment institutions. The study also found that limited budgetary allocation for disability mainstreaming activities, limited awareness of disability mainstreaming, lack of coordination among various implementing agencies, lack of teacher training in disability mainstreaming pedagogy and unavailability of training materials for teachers and students for inclusive education were among factors contributing to gaps in disability mainstreaming in public high schools and employment institutions.&#x0D; Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommends that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) which coordinates all disability mainstreaming activities along with the National Commission on Disability create more public awareness on disability in all public entities. Government should provide funding’s to public high schools and employment institutions to enable them to implement the disability mainstreaming policies. Disability focal persons should also be assigned to these institutions to coordinate and monitor implementation.

Police Officers’ Best Friend?: An Exploratory Analysis of the Effect of Service Dogs on Perceived Organizational Support in Policing

This study explored the effectiveness of a novel technique for police departments to support their officers and promote wellness: the use of service dogs. We evaluated officer perceptions in two mid-sized, municipal police departments that have wellness programs with a service dog that is permanently assigned to a full-time police officer handler: Groton and Naugatuck, Connecticut. We assessed six factors believed to influence police officer wellness including: operational and organizational stress using the Police Stress Questionnaire; topical stressors including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, police use of force and community relations, and police reform efforts; Perceived Organizational Support (POS); receptivity to service dogs; and willingness to seek assistance for mental health issues. We found evidence that exposure to service dogs is significantly linked to both POS and receptivity to service dogs in policing. We also found that officer willingness to seek their department’s assistance regarding mental health approaches significance with greater exposure to the service dog ( p = .07). Although we found no significant evidence that exposure to service dogs is linked to stress reduction, we found that police reforms pose a substantial perceived stress on officers in the study. This finding presents a serious challenge for reformers that risks undermining officer wellness. Implications of our findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.

“Through their eyes, I can work” – rural physicians' perceptions about mobile phone use among community health workers – a qualitative analysis

PurposePhysicians who are primary care providers in rural communities form an essential stakeholder group in rural mobile health (mHealth) delivery. This study was exploratory in nature and was conducted in Udupi district of Karnataka, India. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of rural medical officers (MOs) (rural physicians) regarding the benefits and challenges of mobile phone use by community health workers (CHWs).Design/methodology/approachIn-depth interviews were conducted among 15 MOs belonging to different primary health centers of the district. Only MOs with a minimum five years of experience were recruited in the study using purposive and snowball sampling. This was followed by thematic analysis of the data collected.FindingsThe perceptions of MOs regarding the CHWs' use of mobile phones were largely positive. However, they reported the existence of some challenges that limits the potential of its full use. The findings were categorized under four themes namely, benefits of mobile phone use to CHWs, benefits of mobile phone-equipped CHWs, current mobile phone use by CHWs and barriers to CHWs' mobile phone use. The significant barriers reported in the CHWs' mobile phone use were poor mobile network coverage, technical illiteracy, lack of consistent technical training and call and data expense of the CHWs. The participants recommend an increased number of mobile towers, frequent training in mobile phone use and basic English language for the CHWs as possible solutions to the barriers.Originality/valueStudies examining the perceptions of doctors who are a primary stakeholder group in mHealth as well as in the public health system scenario are limited. To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to examine the perception of rural doctors regarding CHWs' mobile phone use for work in India.

Juvenile Correctional Officer Beliefs About Trauma and Mental Illness: Perceptions of Training and Youth Behaviors

Youth with a mental illness are incarcerated at much higher rates than youth without a psychological diagnosis. Correctional officers serve as a source of daily interaction for these youth and are required to manage juvenile mental health symptoms with minimal training. When staff do not fully understand mental health needs or hold stigmatic perceptions, youth may experience negative consequences. Being aware of officer perceptions of juvenile mental health issues has the potential to improve monitoring and treatment of youth at correctional facilities. This study took place at a Midwestern juvenile correctional facility-the only one in the state. Officer attitudes surrounding mental health, mental health training, and treatment needs were assessed among a sample of juvenile correctional officers employed at the facility. Findings suggest overall positive perceptions of juvenile mental health issues, but suggest the need for increased mental health training for juvenile correctional officers.

Elevated police turnover following the summer of George Floyd protests: A synthetic control study

AbstractResearch summarySeveral of the largest U.S. police departments reported a sharp increase in officer resignations following massive public protests directed at policing in the summer of 2020. Yet, to date, no study has rigorously assessed the impact of the George Floyd protests on police resignations. We fill this void using 60 months of employment data from a large police department in the western United States. Bayesian structural time‐series modeling shows that voluntary resignations increased by 279% relative to the synthetic control, and the model predicts that resignations will continue at an elevated level. However, retirements and involuntary separations were not significantly affected during the study period.Policy implicationsA retention crisis may diminish police departments’ operational capacity to carry out their expected responsibilities. Criminal justice stakeholders must be prepared to confront workforce decline and increased voluntary turnover. Proactive efforts to improve organizational justice for sworn personnel can moderate officer perceptions of public hostility.

Symbolic Representation, Expectancy Disconfirmation, and Citizen Complaints Against Police

The theory of symbolic representation expects that citizens will view the actions of government as more legitimate when administrators share their characteristics. Although there is support for this assertion in some service areas, the evidence in policing is mixed. We draw on Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory to develop the expectation that policing is an area where we may be unlikely to see a positive relationship between representation and positive citizen perceptions of government officials. We test this expectation in an individual-level analysis of citizen complaints against police from four American cities between 2014 and 2017. The results suggest that, all else equal, complaints against Black officers are as or more likely to be filed by Black citizens than by citizens of other races. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these results for both the study of representative bureaucracy and for the management of police citizen interactions.

School Law Enforcement Officer Perceptions of Developmentally Oriented Training

Abstract School-based policing, one of the fastest-growing areas of law enforcement, requires unique skills and presents unique challenges. Specialized training for school resource officers (SROs) is encouraged by the US Departments of Education and Justice (2016) and states are increasingly making available or requiring SROs to complete training designed to better prepare them for school settings. In 2016, Texas mandated a comprehensive, 16-h training programme for SROs from moderate and large school districts. In this paper, we describe a survey conducted to assess perceptions of the first class of SROs to complete that training. We describe SROs’ perceptions of the quality and content of the training, need for the training, and the self-reported impact of training on officers’ daily job activities. Based on the largely positive responses and comments from over 400 SROs, we provide recommendations for policy makers considering similar specialized training for SROs.

Ключевые характеристики актуального имиджа сотрудника правоохранительных органов: проблемы формирования и восприятия

Defined are the critical competence characteristics of the current image of a police officer, the main trends in its change and to determine the problems of forming a whole positive image of a law enforcement officer in the conditions of modern Russia. The article shows the relevance and necessity of a positive image of a police officer in the mass consciousness. The author has carried out an empirical study that made it possible to determine the main parameters of the image of a modern police officer. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that in the course of a comparative analysis of the perceptions of a police officer by the internal and external segments of the target image audience, it was possible to establish not only the key image parameters of the police officer that are relevant at the moment, but also to determine the main contradictions in the image of a law enforcement officer and determine their main the reasons. As a result, it is shown that the current image of a police officer, on the one hand, is influenced by the stereotypes that were formed during the perestroika period, on the other, the images and ideas broadcast by the mass media, and on the third, the activities of the police themselves, perceived directly through personal contact. In addition, it was found that the main problem on the way of forming an integral favorable image of a law enforcement officer is the lack of a unified information policy in this area of activity, as well as the unregulated nature of multiple information flows by state structures, one way or another, affecting the perception of the activities of the internal affairs bodies of the mass audience, which ultimately gives rise to a contradictory and largely eclectic image.

Experience Is Not Enough: Self-Identified Training Needs of Police Working with Adolescents

Abstract Police receive extensive training due to the complexity and challenges of their work. Surprisingly, most police officers receive minimal training on how to understand and interact with adolescents. The current study included data from 1,030 law enforcement officers from 24 police departments evaluating perceived readiness to interact and work with adolescents in the community. We examined overall training needs, and then tested how experience in law enforcement and position or rank impacted self-identified training needs. Rank was associated with police officer perceptions of adolescents and related training needs. Compared with patrol officers, school resource officers indicated that they believed they had the skills needed to effectively work with adolescents [P = 0.001, odds ration (OR) = 2.5]. Beat or area patrol officers were significantly less likely than school resource officers to report feeling equipped to work with adolescents who have experienced trauma compared with new recruits (P &amp;lt; 0.001, OR = 0.3) and other non-patrol police officers (P = 0.001, OR = 0.6). School resource officers were significantly more likely to view adolescents as positive assets to the community (P = 0.003, OR = 2.8), and were significantly less likely to understand why Black adolescents or other adolescents of colour might mistrust police compared with both new recruits (P &amp;lt; 0.001, OR = 0.2) and patrol officers (P &amp;lt; 0.001, OR = 0.5). Overarching training needs are illuminated by these unique data.