Policemen's definitions of the situation - an evaluation of a diploma program in law enforcement and community relations

Flynn, Colin Joseph (1974) Policemen's definitions of the situation - an evaluation of a diploma program in law enforcement and community relations. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This is an exploratory study having as its aim an evaluation of the effects, if any, the community relations courses offered to members of the Newfoundland Constabulary through a Diploma Program In Law Enforcement and Community Relations have on the personal outlook and perspective of those policemen enrolled in the program. The way thought best to assess these effects was to determine whether those enrolled in the Diploma Program have altered the traditional ways in which they define occupational situations in which they deal with the public. The sample for the study consisted of two groups drawn from the non-commissioned ranks of the Newfoundland Constabulary--an experimental group composed of those policemen enrolled in the Diploma Program, and a matched comparison group, composed of policemen as yet unfamiliar with the program. The participant observation technique, guided by Robert A. Stebbins' theory of the definition of the situation, and strengthened by a thirteen point questionnaire based on Stebbins' theory, was utilized to collect the data. The analytic tool chosen was the method of constant comparison, an adaptive technique which compares the responses of the two groups to highlight their similarities and differences. -- The research took place in the summers of 1972 and 1973 immediately following the completion of the policemen's academic year. The 1972 research was primarily concerned with the development of preliminary categories and dimensions, with some preliminary comparisons being attempted. The 1973 research, guided by the categories and dimensions isolated the previous year, became more methodologically refined and concise, leading to more detailed and comprehensive data comparisons. Such in depth analysis led to the development of detailed hypotheses for future verification.

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