Can ethics survive the shock of the job? Quebec's police recruits confront reality

Authors: Alain, Marc¹; Gregoire, Martin²

Source: Policing and Society, Volume 18, Number 2, June 2008 , pp. 169-189(21)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Previous research has shown how skills acquired in different settings are gradually transformed into work strategies (McNamara 1967, Van Maanen 1973, 1974, 1977, Fielding 1988, Chan 2003). Other research has looked at the complex question of ethics and policing (Kappeler et al. 1998, Klokars et al. 2004). However, very few attempts have been made to understand how these two aspects, professional skills and ethical standpoints, gradually merge. We look at one particular aspect in the professional socialisation processes of young police officers - how new police officers deal with the ethical dilemmas they encounter. This paper presents the results obtained from a follow-up cohort study of 316 police recruits after their third year as newly sworn officers throughout Quebec's police forces.

Keywords: police career; police training; police ethics; professional socialisation; cohort study

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10439460802008702

Affiliations: 1: Departement de Psychoeducation, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada 2: Departement de Psychologie, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada

Publication date: 2008-06-01