Analysis of Robin Engel's

A detailed Summary of Analysis of Robin Engel's

Author Robin Shephard Engel attempts to answer whether or not patrol supervisors effectively influence their officers' behavior. Engel examines data collected for the Project on Policing Neighborhoods (POPN). The POPN is a large-scale systematic observational study of police behavior including patrol officers and first-line supervisors, which was conducted in 1996 in Indianapolis, Indiana Police Department (IPD) and in 1997 in St. Petersburg, Florida Police Department (SPPD). Using four distinct supervisory styles created through factor analysis of attitudinal constructs identified in the management and policing literatures, the influence of different supervisory styles over the time officers spend per shift conducting particular types of activities and encounters is assessed.

The major finding in this research stated that supervisory styles had a major influence over the amount of time that officers spend on police-initiated activities, community-policing, and problem-solving activities. Through my analysis I conclude that assessment is very useful, though it has a few areas that could be improved upon. Findings suggest that supervisory styles do influence subordinate behavior.

Engel used Organizational theory of community p

Alternative approaches include (1) longitudinal study of behavior and effectiveness, (2) use of field observation in an attempt to directly examine supervisors' interactions with other officers, and (3) use of another theory such as social learning theory. If social learning theory were incorporated Engel could examine the influence of other officers over the attitudes and behaviors of their peers.

Using systematic observational data "supervision" has been operationalized in past research as a measure of the number of contacts between a supervisor and a subordinate, or as the presence of a supervisor at the scene of a police/citizen encounter. In this analysis, the substantive nature of supervision was measured rather than the quantity of supervision, by using the underlying attitudinal dimensions of supervisory styles identified from the management and police literatures. Nine attitudinal dimensions were identified and measured from supervisors' survey responses (i.e. power distribution, decision making, activity level, relations-orientation, task-orientation, inspirational motivation, expect community-relations, expect aggressive enforcement, and view of subordinates). Officer effectiveness was operationalized as the number of incidents handled per tour, response to radio calls, time spent handling encounters, down time after an encounter was handled, and the manner of handling crimes, complaints, offenses, and disturbances.

olicing to build his research on. Organizational theory replaced the traditional model with the introduction of community policing. Community policing recognizes that the knowledge and experience of line officers is of critical importance to the police organization. In order to be responsive to community problems and engage in problem solving, the rank and file must have greater independence in making decisions. The independence and freedom of line officers to respond to local community problems is encouraged by the decentralization of the police structure, and the formal recognition that police work is highly discretionary. The creation of community substations in local neighb

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Engel Organizational, SPPD Using, POPN POPN, Shephard Engel, supervisory styles, officers spend, officer behavior, problem-solving activities, activities community-policing problem-solving, community-policing problem-solving activities, community policing, line officers, activities community-policing, traditional supervisors, active supervisors, community-policing problem-solving, Department IPD, spend police-initiated activities, measured percentage spent, officers spend police-initiated, Police Department,

Approximate Word count = 1429
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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