THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 242 PATROL OFFICERS, 44 SERGEANTS, AND 38 SENIOR OFFICERS FROM 9 SMALL TO MEDIUM-SIZED POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN IDAHO AND WASHINGTON STATE. RANGING IN STRENGTH FROM 10 TO 116 UNIFORMED OFFICERS, THE DEPARTMENTS SERVE COMMUNITIES WITH POPULATIONS OF 7,000 TO 135,000. TWO SEPARATE MEASURES WERE APPLIED TO THE OFFICERS--THE NIEDERHOFFER (1967) CYNICISM SCALE AND THE STANDARD HALL (1968) PROFESSIONALISM SCALE, AS REVISED AND SHORTENED BY SNIZEK (1972). THE FINDINGS SUPPORT EARLIER RESEARCH ON CYNICISM BY NIEDERHOFFER, AND ALSO BY WILSON (1967). PROFESSIONALISM AND CYNICISM AMONG UNIFORMED PERSONNEL WERE FOUND TO BE INVERSELY AND FAIRLY STRONGLY RELATED. HOWEVER, THIS RELATIONSHIP IS PARTLY THE RESULT OF DIFFERENTIAL BIAS, SINCE ONE DIMENSION OF PROFESSIONALISM--CALLING TO THE FIELD--AND ONE DIMENSION OF CYNICISM--CYNICISM ABOUT POLICE DEDICATION TO DUTY--TAP ESSENTIALLY THE SAME CONCEPT. THE ACCURACY OF NIEDERHOFFER'S TIME FRAME WAS ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE FINDINGS, WITH CYNICISM PEAKING IN MID-CAREER. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT FUTURE RESEARCH FOCUS MORE DIRECTLY ON THE DEPARTMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT FOSTER CYNICISM AND LOSS OF COMMITMENT. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA ARE PROVIDED, ALONG WITH REFERENCES. (KBL)