Sanja Kutnjak Ivković and Tara O'Connor Shelley
This paper aims to explore how police officer rank affects the relation between the extent of the code of silence and views of discipline fairness.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how police officer rank affects the relation between the extent of the code of silence and views of discipline fairness.
Design/methodology/approach
In 2005, 150 police supervisors and 450 line officers from East Bohemia, the Czech Republic were surveyed, regarding crucial components of police integrity.
Findings
Supervisor and line officer codes of silence are similar; whenever the codes differ, the supervisor code seems to be narrower. The majority of line officers and supervisors provided similar assessments of the expected discipline; they disagreed only regarding a small number of scenarios. The results clearly show a direct relation between how strongly police officers adhere to the code of silence and the way they view disciplinary fairness, regardless of their supervisory status.
Research limitations/implications
The survey included only police officers from East Bohemia in the Czech Republic.
Practical implications
The methodology can be utilized by police administrators to explore the contours of the code of silence in their agencies, police officers' views about appropriate and expected discipline, as well as the relation between the police officers' willingness to tolerate misconduct in silence, and their perceptions of the fairness of the expected discipline.
Originality/value
Studies exploring the relation between the code of silence and discipline fairness are rare. This study contributes to this scarce literature along two dimensions: first, it provides an in‐depth analysis of the relation between the extent of the code of silence and views of discipline fairness in an emerging democracy; and second, it explores the effect of police officer rank on this relation.
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Keywords
Tara O’Connor Shelley, Michael J. Hogan, N. Prabha Unnithan and Paul B. Stretesky
Public opinion regarding the police is generally positive, although there are number of individual and contextual variables that affect these views. Yet research examining public…
Abstract
Purpose
Public opinion regarding the police is generally positive, although there are number of individual and contextual variables that affect these views. Yet research examining public perceptions regarding state law enforcement agencies (particularly state patrols) is rare.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper utilizes a representative state‐wide sample of state residents and examine their perceptions of the Colorado State Patrol (CSP).
Findings
The paper finds positive views of the CSP overall and place particular emphasis on how individual, contextual, and contact‐related variables affect opinions.
Research limitations/implications
The study focusses on one state patrol and is not generalizable to all state patrols and to other forms of state law enforcement.
Originality/value
The paper fills a void in the research on public opinion regarding state law enforcement and discuss similarities and differences in how they are viewed when compared to municipal agencies.
Details
Keywords
Matthew S. Crow, Tara O'Connor Shelley, Laura E. Bedard and Marc Gertz
Following the velvet revolution of 1989 and the adoption of a democratic form of government, Czech policing has experienced a plethora of changes resulting in a new police force…
Abstract
Following the velvet revolution of 1989 and the adoption of a democratic form of government, Czech policing has experienced a plethora of changes resulting in a new police force that has been understudied to date. This research seeks to address this void using an exploratory approach that utilizes survey research to gauge the attitudes of 70 Czech police officers regarding crime and criminal justice policies; police and government involvement in social and order maintenance problems; and police practices in the Czech Republic (e.g. community‐oriented policing). Several factors – historical, ideology and job tenure – are considered as potential explanations for observed trends in officer attitudes. The results indicate that there are no clear patterns to these officers' attitudes.
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Keywords
Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles and Robert Detmering
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
Introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.
Findings
Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.