Officers’ Perceptions of Early Intervention Systems

• In Event: Early Intervention Systems: The State of the Art

Abstract

Police early intervention (EI) systems are, in general, designed as non-punitive mechanisms for better ensuring that officers’ performance meets organizational and community expectations, providing for non-disciplinary interventions. Officers and their supervisors might be expected to perceive EI systems as less supportive and more punitive than this design, given the historically punishment-centered character of police organizations. Based on surveys of officers and field supervisors in four agencies, we offer a comparative assessment of how the police rank-and-file perceive their agencies’ EI systems.

Authors

• Eugene Paoline, University of Central Florida

• Robert E Worden, University at Albany, SUNY

• Sarah J McLean, The John F. Finn Institute