Police officers on two-officer units: A study of attitudinal responses towards a patrol experiment

Author: Carmen Alejandro del   Guevara Lori  

Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd

ISSN: 1363-951X

Source: Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, Vol.26, Iss.1, 2003-03, pp. : 144-161

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Abstract

Presents results of a study which examined 50 US police officers perceptions regarding performance, applicability, effectiveness and safety issues when assigned to two-officer units, compared with a one-officer unit, for patrol operations in an urban setting. Half the group comprised an experimental area's two-officer units and half comprised a control area's one-officer units. It was found that officers generally agreed they would perform the same whether they were in a one- or two-officer patrol car; that two-officer units should be used at night and in areas where people mistrust the police, that two-officer units could observe more than a single officer and respond more quickly to calls. However, most officers disagreed that two one-officer cars could accomplish twice as much as one two-officer car and that officers are more likely to be injured in two-officer cars then in one-officer cars. Notes the possibility of distractions, misunderstandings or disagreements taking place between partners sharing a vehicle for eight hours, as well as intrusion of privacy into an officer's role/duty as a police officer.

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