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Paradox in Policing - A Note on Perceptions of Danger

NCJ Number
92111
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1983) Pages: 457-462
Author(s)
F T Cullen; B G Link; L F Travis; T Lemming
Date Published
1983
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A survey of 91 police officers from 5 departments located in the suburbs of a large midwestern city indicated that police see their jobs as both safe and unsafe, since they are aware that fatal injuries are relatively rare but also know that potential for harm is inherent in the work.
Abstract
The sample included 59 patrol officers, while the reminder were sergeants, detectives, lieutenants, captains, and a commander. The respondents were almost exclusively white males, with a mean age of 34 and 9.5 years average length of time in police work. Over one-third were college graduates and approximately 40 percent had attended but not finished college. The questionnaire measured perceptions of danger, the degree of anxiety or pressure officers felt on duty, and symptoms of pervasive depression. Most officers did not believe that physical injury occurred frequently in police work. However, nearly four-fifths believed they worked at a dangerous job and two-thirds thought policing was more dangerous than other kinds of employment. Feelings of danger were positively and significantly associated with measures of job stress. The data also revealed that those officers with higher educational levels were less likely to experience distress while at work. In summary, danger appears to increase the psychological discomfort that officers endure, while education helps to mitigate such distress. Rank in department, annual income, and years of police experience had no significant impact on either work or life stress. These findings suggest a second policing paradox: perceptions of danger are both functional and dysfunctional, since they force officers to remain vigilant to potential risks in their work but also contribute to personal stress. Tables and 16 references are supplied.

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