Supervisory influences on officers’ perceptions of less lethal force policy: a multilevel analysis
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of sergeants’ less lethal force policy perceptions on subordinate officers’ policy perceptions. Sergeants are a critical level of supervision in police departments with respect to policy administration, particularly in regard to the use of force. Little empirical research, however, has been conducted on either officer policy perceptions or this aspect of the supervisory role.
Design/methodology/approach
Surveys of 765 patrol officers and 146 patrol sergeants served as the data source. Multilevel modeling procedures were used to test for supervisory influences on officer force policy perceptions while controlling for relevant officer-level variables. Additional analyses were conducted to examine potential moderating effects for this sergeant-officer attitudinal relationship.
Findings
Findings revealed that sergeant policy perceptions, views of top management, and their level of support had a significant impact on officers’ force policy perceptions. Furthermore, post hoc analyses revealed that sergeant support moderated the sergeant-officer force policy perception relationship.
Research limitations/implications
The results indicate that officers’ force policy perceptions are associated with the attitudinal dispositions of sergeants. Future work could expand the focus on administrative attitudinal outcomes beyond less lethal force policies as well as other perceptions of the work environment.
Practical implications
For police leaders, the findings illustrate the need to pay attention to mid-management levels and the organizational climate, as negative orientations can impact additional domains (i.e. policies and procedures) and other organizational members (i.e. subordinates).
Originality/value
The study adds to the limited body of research on two accountability mechanisms of departments: administrative rulemaking and frontline supervision.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research is based on data from the National Institute of Justice Grant No. 2005-IJ-CX-0055NIJ. Points of view expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NIJ or the US Department of Justice. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and guidance in the preparation of this paper.
Citation
Robert Ingram, J., R. Weidner, R., A. Paoline III, E. and Terrill, W. (2014), "Supervisory influences on officers’ perceptions of less lethal force policy: a multilevel analysis", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 355-372. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-05-2013-0051
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited