The Effects Of Higher Education On Police Officers Attitudes Toward Personnel Issues Public Relations And Crime Fighting

Download or read book The Effects of Higher Education on Police Officers' Attitudes Toward Personnel Issues, Public Relations, and Crime Fighting written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the demands for efficiency and accuracy being placed on the police by the public, the law enforcement community must adapt to a higher standard. Most sheriffs and police chiefs assume that the more formal education that a police officer attains, the more effective and efficient the officer will become at serving the public in various ways. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of higher education on police officers' beliefs toward the public, their department's administrative policy and the practice of crime fighting in general. This study analyzed a group of deputy sheriffs, under the rank of lieutenant, in the Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Tazewell and Washington county Virginia Sheriff's Offices. The sample was divided into three groups - deputies with high school/GED, deputies with an associate degree and deputies with a bachelor's degree. Data were collected on a select group of law enforcement officers in Southwest Virginia by means of a survey instrument that was distributed to either the chief deputy of sheriff of each county. This study showed a weak correlation between education levels and police officer's attitudes toward personnel issues, public relations and crime fighting.