The recruits were tested on Beswick and Hills' Australian E scale and Ray's Balanced F scale at recruitment, after 6 months of full-time academy training, and after 12 months of police experience. Results revealed that over the period of academy training the recruits became less authoritarian, but they did not vary on ethnocentrism. Over the field experience stage, the recruits became both more ethnocentric and authoritarian. Moreover, recruits sent to districts with large Aboriginal populations became significantly more ethnocentric but no more authoritarian than other recruits. At a theoretical level, findings suggest that police attributes may develop as a function of particular policing experiences. At an applied level, findings suggest that training alone is unlikely to overcome the problem of police prejudice. Tables, figures, and 49 references (Author abstract modified)