1930 cartoon.... somethings never change

[Ichingcarpenter]

The Police personality

Siegal gives an American perspective of the police personality: ‘The typical police personality is thought to include authoritarianism, suspicion, racism, hostility, insecurity, conservatism, and cynicism’ (1986: 500). Potter (cited in Adlam 1981), commenting on the British police, suggests that: ‘It is commonly accepted that police officers tend to be authoritarian, dogmatic, and conservative’.

A psychometric study by Clucas (cited by Colman and Gorman 1982) found a sample of policemen from northern Britain to be extraverted, tough-minded, and conservative compared to the population norms of the tests used. (The term conservative as used in this context is understood as a steadfast resistance to change and a preference for safe, traditional, and conventional behaviour.) Similarly Potter (cited in Colman and Gorman 1982) in another psychometric study carried out in 1977 found police recruits to be more conservative than the general norm: however, following training there was a slight reduction in conservatism. Cook (1977) found conservatism scores similar to those reported by Potter, and that officers with twelve months’ service tended to be less con­servative than the recruits — although still more conservative than the general population.

Cochrane and Butler (1980) compared the values held by police officers, recruits to the police force, and civilians. Using the Rokeach Value Survey (Rokeach 1973), it was found that overall the police placed significantly more value than civilians on a comfortable life, mature love, and self-respect, and significantly less value on a world at peace. Recruits differed from civilians only in placing less importance on ‘a world at peace’, and officers from recruits only in placing more value on ‘self-respect’.

A more recent study by Colman and Gorman (1982) collected data using four psychometric tests and an open response format to three questions on the ‘death penalty’, ‘coloured immigration’, and ‘mixed marriage’. Two groups of police officers were used: recruits from an initial training course, and probationer constables with an average of twenty months’ service: a non-police control was also included in the study. A comparison of the characteristics of the three groups revealed that they differed significantly on age, and that the control group had a higher level of educational attainment. Analysis of the psychometric data showed that the controls were significantly less conservative and less authoritarian than the two police groups; there was no difference between groups on the measure of dogmatism.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gary.sturt/crime/police%20personality.htm

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Likely police brutality was a way to earn promotions and still are.

To "promote law and order" and to remove "chaos" from the streets.

[bamacrat]

2. Fuck the Police.

NWA had it right.

[alfredo]

3. The cops in our town have been good. The city is raising

their insurance costs due to the insurer has raised their premium.

[ThomWV]

4. Here's the difference, back then every other cop had a stick, now every fucking one has a gun.

[tech5270]

5. I've had to work with LEO's since the 70's

One thing I can say is that cops are neither good nor bad. There is a propensity for authoritarian types to be drawn to the profession but I would say the larger percentage want to do some real good for the community. Unfortunately, there are those that enter the profession with good intentions but are corrupted by the power they hold over the public.
I'm not sure I could resist the potential to exersize my influence. It's really hard to maintain that feeling of empathy and community with people you don't know face to face.

When cops are out on the street dealing with the people they are there to "protect and defend", they might change their attitude.