Abstract
This quantitative study utilized Richard H. Hall's attitudinal attributes of a professional using a Likert scale. The survey was administered to officers in two similar mid-sized police departments. The first agency had 650 officers, while the second had 350 officers. Agency One requires all applicants to possess a bachelor's degree, while Agency Two does not have this requirement. It was hypothesized that the officers with a bachelor's degree would possess an enhanced attitudinal level of professionalism over those without. It was also hypothesized that officers belonging to an agency that requires a bachelor's degree will have an enhanced attitudinal level of professionalism over officers from an agency that does not require a bachelor's degree. The findings of the study, like earlier research, did not support a higher attitude of police professionalism associated with a bachelor's degree as posited in the hypotheses. The use of only two agencies may have weakened the strength of the comparison. It may also be that an officer's possession of a bachelor's degree may be desirable for reasons of professionalism, but it lacks an impact on officer's attitudes toward professionalism.
Recommended Citation
Loftus, Joseph and Price, Keith
(2016)
"Police Attitudes and Professionalism,"
Administrative Issues Journal: Vol. 6:
Iss.
2, Article 5.
Available at:
https://dc.swosu.edu/aij/vol6/iss2/5
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