Committee Chair

VanNess, Shela R.

Department

Dept. of Criminal Justice and Legal Assistant Studies

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Rapid social change has led many law enforcement agencies to explore various options that would serve to enhance service delivery, department credibility within communities, and overall professionalism. From a historical perspective, professionalism has been an elusive state for law enforcement agencies ever since the inception of the first police department. A search for such professionalism has taken a turn toward accreditation. Accreditation for law enforcement was studied to determine if the process enhanced the perceived level of credibility and professionalism enjoyed by police departments in the southeastern states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Three hundred and seven southeastern law enforcement departments were surveyed; of these, 76 were accredited, 231 were not accredited. Agencies were asked a series of questions to gamer opinions on professionalism, credibility, accreditation and the importance of these items for law enforcement. The majority of accredited departments observed a rise in citizen support and a decrease in citizen complaints after accreditation. Accreditation appears have a positive overall impact on law enforcement agencies in the southeastern United States. Reduction in liability insurance cost, lawsuits filed and settled, and an increase in community and federal financial support indicates accreditation benefits outweigh costs associated with the process of departments becoming accredited.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

5-2000

Subject

Police--Accreditation--United States; Police professionalization--United States

Discipline

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

iii, 65 leaves

Language

English

Call Number

LB2369.2 .G463 2000

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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