Abstract
Police researchers have devoted a considerable amount of empirical attention to testing the impact college education has on police performance. The counterargument to the education debate is that experience, in learning the police craft, is what contributes to differences in performance. The current study adds to both lines of research by examining the impact of education and experience on one of the core features of the police role: the use of coercion. The findings indicate that varying levels of education and experience are related to differences in the use of coercion in encounters with citizens. Encounters involving officers with any college education result in significantly less verbal force compared to those with a high school education. However, only those encounters involving officers with a 4-year degree result in significantly less physical force. Finally, encounters involving officers with greater experience result in less verbal and physical force.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 179-196 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Criminal Justice and Behavior |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2007 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Coercion
- College education
- Experience
- Police
- Use of force
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Psychology(all)
- Clinical Psychology
Cite this
Police education, experience, and the use of force. / Paoline, Eugene A.; Terrill, William.
In: Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 34, No. 2, 02.2007, p. 179-196.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Police education, experience, and the use of force
AU - Paoline, Eugene A.
AU - Terrill, William
PY - 2007/2
Y1 - 2007/2
N2 - Police researchers have devoted a considerable amount of empirical attention to testing the impact college education has on police performance. The counterargument to the education debate is that experience, in learning the police craft, is what contributes to differences in performance. The current study adds to both lines of research by examining the impact of education and experience on one of the core features of the police role: the use of coercion. The findings indicate that varying levels of education and experience are related to differences in the use of coercion in encounters with citizens. Encounters involving officers with any college education result in significantly less verbal force compared to those with a high school education. However, only those encounters involving officers with a 4-year degree result in significantly less physical force. Finally, encounters involving officers with greater experience result in less verbal and physical force.
AB - Police researchers have devoted a considerable amount of empirical attention to testing the impact college education has on police performance. The counterargument to the education debate is that experience, in learning the police craft, is what contributes to differences in performance. The current study adds to both lines of research by examining the impact of education and experience on one of the core features of the police role: the use of coercion. The findings indicate that varying levels of education and experience are related to differences in the use of coercion in encounters with citizens. Encounters involving officers with any college education result in significantly less verbal force compared to those with a high school education. However, only those encounters involving officers with a 4-year degree result in significantly less physical force. Finally, encounters involving officers with greater experience result in less verbal and physical force.
KW - Coercion
KW - College education
KW - Experience
KW - Police
KW - Use of force
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33846466422&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0093854806290239
DO - 10.1177/0093854806290239
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33846466422
VL - 34
SP - 179
EP - 196
JO - Criminal Justice and Behavior
JF - Criminal Justice and Behavior
SN - 0093-8548
IS - 2
ER -