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Police Officers' Values on Intervention in Family Fights

NCJ Number
109235
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1987) Pages: 192-202
Author(s)
M G Breci
Date Published
1987
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Guidelines designed to improve police response to family violence often fail to take into consideration how officers will react to such policies. This study examines the relationship between values officers hold toward intervention in family disturbances and selected demographic characteristics of police officers: race, sex, education, and years experience.
Abstract
The results of this study suggest that an officer's race, educational level, and number of years experience do predict values officers hold on family violence. Understanding the relationship between values and demographic characteristics offers policy makers and administrators a tool for predicting officer reactions to various programs and policies. In contrast to prior research, this analysis found no difference between male and female officers in the values they hold toward intervention in family fights. (Publisher abstract)