Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a change in the attitudes of police cadets towards community-oriented policing as a result of being trained in an authoritarian-based police academy environment. The results of the study are to be used to assist in the academy training of police cadets who will be expected to function in a community-oriented policing environment, since a 1988 survey indicated that 70% of California police training academies are authoritarian-based. Methodology. Pre-academy and post-academy surveys were done using a validated survey instrument (questionnaire) of one hundred and seventy-two (172) police cadets in two authoritarian-based police academies in California. The completed surveys were then analyzed statistically using the t-Test for Paired Data to determine whether or not there was a significant change in the attitudes of the police cadets towards the philosophy of community-oriented policing during the academy training process. The data were analyzed by academy, and as an entire population. Findings and conclusions. The results of the survey indicated that significant negative attitude changes did occur at one of the two police academies but not at the other academy. As a result, there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the negative changes that did occur to the cadets at the one academy were the result, in and of itself, of the authoritarian-based training environment. Recommendations. It is recommended that a similar longitudinal study of police cadets through the police academy and into the field training process be conducted to determine if the attitudes and philosophies of community-oriented policing are strengthened or weakened by the post-academy, field training process. It is also recommended that a similar longitudinal study of police cadets who attend a non-authoritarian based police academy be conducted to determine if there are attitudinal changes that take place and, if so, if they are similar or different to the ones that were identified in this study.