Rethinking Police Culture: Officers' Occupational Attitudes (Criminal Justice Recent Scholarship)

Using survey data from two metropolitan police departments, Paoline examines attitudinal similarities and differences among officers. His findings indicate that the attitudinal homogeneity associated with police culture is overstated; he finds multiple attitudinal groups among officers. These differences are less attributable to the officers' background and more related to the shift and area in which they work. In addition, the patrol officers' direct supervisors ( sergeants and lieutenants) attitudinally align with their subordinates.