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Police Administrators' Ambivalence towards Professionalism

College of Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802

The reasons for the traditional ambivalence of police administrators towards the development of police professionalism are explored. The analysis takes account of variables along several dimensions: formal organization, the characteristics of the professional, and the distinction between the rhetoric of professionalism and professional action. Several concerns, intrinsic to the administrative role of assuring continuity and integrity of the organization over time, are cited to explain ambivalence toward professionalism. Reluctance to utilize the rhetoric of professionalism is largely based on the administrator's recognition that the credibility of the rhetoric ultimately depends on the presence of professional activities. Activitating professionalism, rather than utilizing professionalism rhetoric, emerges as the real issue. Several factors associated with professional action create concern for police administrators. These include automony, performance accountability, role taking by the individual, organizational loyalty and traditional secrecy of police operations. In summary, professionalism is feared by police administrators because utilizing the rhetoric of professionalism eventually leads to the necessity of acting like a a professional, which raises problems and risks intrinsic to established operations in the police organization.

Finally, it is argued that the professionalism orientation has much to offer to the administrator in spite of risks. The positive effects noted include development of highly skilled personnel, opportunity for organizational self-evaluation and internal control of innovation, increased productivity through worker satisfaction and more effective interaction with other components of criminal justice systems.

Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 13-20 (1976)
DOI: 10.1177/073401687600100203


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