Work-load rates and police officer attitudes: An examination of busy and slow precincts

This article examines how police work load influences a set of officer attitudes concerning their role, their police department, and their communities. An anonymous survey was distributed to patrol officers in two police departments with a total of 761 participants. Officers were asked a series of attitude questions, from which nine scales were created, and they were asked a set of questions concerning their demographics and work experience. A variety of work-load rates were created, based on official data, reflecting the average number of Part I, Part II, and total Calls for Service incidents that each officer engaged in during a one-year period for each precinct in the total sample. Analyses indicate that officers who are assigned to work slower precincts tend to see their role, their police department, and their communities in a more positive light than do their counterparts who work busier areas. Some demographic differences also emerged in the comparison of work-load rates by precinct.