In the Fall of 1993, Spokane Police Department employees completed the second annual employee survey. Among the key findings from the survey are the following:
Nearly 100 percent of Spokane Police Department employees agree that a good police officer maintains the peace by using problem solving skills.
The majority of employees continue to view the public as not interested in police problems.
Police Department employees voice support for three key goals: empowerment of citizens; empowerment of employees; and apprehension of serious criminals.
The most serious obstacle to implementation of community oriented policing (COP) remains the problem of balancing COP activities with other activities.
In 1993, fewer employees consider confusion over COP, lack of training, fear that COP is soft on crime, or line level accountability, as obstacles to COP (compared to 1992).
Inadequate staff and inadequate budget continue to be seen as the most serious work related problems.
There was a decline from 1992 in the percent of employees stating that inadequate supervision is a serious problem.
Drugs, juvenile crime, violent crime, property crime, and gangs are the most serious neighborhood problems according to patrol officers. The percent of officers rating these problems as "serious" increased from 1992 to 1993.
Employees report their work to be more motivating in 1993 as compared to 1992.
Consistent increases in job satisfaction were observed in 1993 in comparison to 1992.
Female commissioned officers report the highest levels of motivating factors and job satisfaction in their jobs.
Day shift employees tend to find their work more motivating and satisfying than either swing or graveyard shift employees.
For commissioned employees, officers with 4 to 9 years service find their work less motivating than either newer or more senior employees. For non-commissioned employees, more senior workers report their work less motivating and satisfying.
Reported levels of stress were consistently lower in 1993 compared to 1992.
Non-supervisory staff report higher stress levels than do supervisory staff.
For commissioned employees, those with 10 to 19 years of service reported the highest stress levels. For non-commissioned staff, those with 4 to 9 years of service reported the highest levels of stress.
Employees who find their work more motivating also report greater satisfaction with their work. These employees also report lower levels of stress. Finally, more motivated and satisfied workers, and those reporting lower levels of stress, report greater attachment to the Department.
Although fewer employees reported that poor supervision was a problem in 1993 compared to 1992, those who did so tended to also report less satisfaction and more stress.
A scale measuring community oriented policing (COP) orientation was constructed. Analysis revealed that there were not significant differences in support for COP between:
commissioned and non-commissioned employees
workers on different shifts
males and females
whites and non-white employees
younger and older employees
workers of different seniority levels
employees of varying educational backgrounds.
Supervisors and, among commissioned employees, higher ranking officers, reported more of a COP orientation.
Employees voicing support for COP find their work more motivating and satisfying and report stronger attachment to the Department than do employees with less of a COP orientation.
Employees expressing more support for COP report lower levels of stress.
Recruitment efforts targeting individuals with a COP orientation should lead to a workforce with higher levels of motivation and satisfaction, and a stronger attachment to the Department.
Mid-level employees and supervisors may be experiencing difficulties with the organizational changes entailed in implementation of COP and values-driven policing. Corporals score low on the motivating potential scale and on job satisfaction. Among males, corporals, detectives, and sergeants report higher levels of stress.
Staff within the Dispatch and Records units scored lower than other non-commissioned employees on job motivation and job satisfaction scales.
Some employees within these units (Records and Dispatch) also reported higher stress levels.
Job satisfaction tended to decline with years of service and age.
For male employees, stress increased with age. In contrast, female stress levels declined with age. Females under 30 years of age scored higher on the stress scale than did older female employees.
Among patrol officers, non-white officers tended to report higher levels of attachment.
Female officers reported higher levels of stress but they also reported higher levels of motivation and satisfaction.
Patrol officers in the 25 to 29 years of age category and employees over 40 tended to score lower on several of the dimensions examined.
Swing shift officers scored low on the Motivating Potential Scale and on the COP orientation scale. Graveyard officers, in contrast, reported higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment to the organization.