THE ROKEACH VALUE SURVEY WAS COMPLETED IN APRIL 1968 BY 153 WHITE MALE OFFICERS IN A MIDDLE-SIZED DEPARTMENT AND BY AN AREA PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF U.S. RESIDENTS OVER AGE 21. THE POLICE-POPULATION COMPARISON IS BASED ON THE RESPONSES OF 561 WHITE MALES AND 93 BLACK MALES FROM THE NATIONAL SAMPLE. THE VALUE GAP BETWEEN POLICE AND BLACKS IS SOMEWHAT LARGE THAN THAT BETWEEN POLICE AND WHITES (MATCHED ON AGE AND EDUCATION), BUT THE VALUE GAP IS CONSIDERABLE IN BOTH CASES. POLICE DIFFER FROM BOTH GROUPS IN THEIR PRIORITIES FOR BOTH IDEALIZED MEANS AND IDEALIZED ENDS. POLICE ARE RELATIVELY MORE CONCERNED WITH CERTAIN PERSONAL VALUES (E.G., SELF-ACTUALIZATION, COMPETENCE NEEDS) AND LESS CONCERNED WITH SOCIAL VALUES. POLICE RANK THE FOLLOWING VALUE INDICATORS HIGHER THAN DO THE NATIONAL SAMPLES: SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT, CAPABLE, INTELLECTUAL, AND LOGICAL. PARADOXICALLY, POLICE ALSO PLACE A RELATIVELY HIGH VALUE ON OBEDIENCE TO AUTHORITY, DEVALUE AUTONOMY, AND EXPRESS A PUNITIVE AND UNSYMPATHETIC ORIENTATION TOWARD PEOPLE IN GENERAL. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT VALUE GAP BETWEEN POLICE AND POLICED CONCERNS EQUALITY. POLICE VALUE EQUALITY SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN DO WHITES AND FAR LOWER THAN DO BLACKS. THE FINDINGS SUPPORT THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PERSONALITY FACTORS AND SOCIAL BACKGROUNDS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OCCUPATIONAL SOCIALIZATION IN UNDERSTANDING POLICE VALUE SYSTEMS. THE FINDING THAT POLICE VALUES DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, WHITE OR BLACK, SUGGESTS THAT MORE DIFFERENTIAL RECRUITMENT AND/OR MORE DIRECT RESOCIALIZATION PROCEDURES ARE NEEDED TO IMPROVE POLICE-CITIZEN RELATIONS. SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MIDIFIED--LKM)