Degree Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
1986
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Abstract
Since the mid 1970s, family violence has become a high priority social issue. Along with this rise in awareness of family violence as a major social problem, the police response to such situations was also evaluated and found to be deficient. Two perspectives have evolved in the literature for improving the effectiveness of police intervention. The first perspective argues for adequate police training while the second advocates mandatory arrest when violence occurs;This study examines the police response to domestic disturbances by developing and testing two models that have been extrapolated from the theoretical and empirical knowledge on police behavior. The first model, the organizational model, examines the influence the police organization has on the officer's response to domestic disturbances. The second model, the psychological predispositional model, looks at those characteristics of officers that influence their response to family fights;The questionnaire developed for this study was administered to police officers from four police departments. 242 Line officers (75 percent completion rate) filled out the survey;Tests of the organizational model indicated amount and type of training were very strong predictors of a service (counseling and referral) response, while organizational priorities and the officer's police role within the community were influential in determining a law enforcement (arrest) response;The psychological predispositional model explained 47 percent of the variance in the dependent variable for the service response. The values, attitudes, and perceptions of police officers toward the police role at family fights were influenced by the officer's education, sex, police experience and police peers.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-5761
Publisher
Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/
Copyright Owner
Michael Gene Breci
Copyright Date
1986
Language
en
Proquest ID
AAI8627095
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
173 pages
Recommended Citation
Breci, Michael Gene, "Police response to domestic disturbances " (1986). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 8060.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/8060