Law enforcement agencies, like any other organization, are prone to such issues as burnout at work, low job satisfaction, and morale, decreasing performance. The lack of morale is a common problem for police departments across the USA (Archbold, 2012). It is often associated with burnout and job dissatisfaction. Researchers have identified several factors that have adverse effects on officers’ morale. These include workload, the lack of resources, lack of efficient and up-to-date equipment, improper rewarding system, inappropriate internal communication (McCarty & Skogan, 2013; Ercikti, Vito, Walsh, & Higgins, 2011). Importantly, researchers stress that workload and insufficient resources, as well as inadequate equipment, are central factors leading to police personnel’s morale. The hypothesis of the present study can be formulated as follows: police officers’ morale positively correlates with the availability of personnel, resources, and equipment.
To check the hypothesis, it is essential to ensure the conceptualization and operationalization of the major variables of the study. To conceptualize such terms as the availability of personnel, resources, and equipment, it is necessary to interview the chief of the department, implement the research and interview several officers working at the department (and chosen randomly). As an illustration of the conceptualization process, it is possible to conceptualize the term availability of resources. In this study, it will refer to the availability of training, time for completing diverse tasks, access to the necessary data. The operationalization process involves the development of particular measures to evaluate the variables identified. As for the availability of training, the number of available training programs will be taken into account. The availability of time will be estimated through the calculations of the time needed and spent to complete reports. As to the availability of data, the cases when it is important to receive approval and confirmation from police managers or other individuals will be considered.
To check the hypothesis, it is also vital to conceptualize and operationalize the primary dependent variable, which is personnel morale. Archbold (2012) defines morale as “the mental and emotional condition… of an individual or group concerning the function or tasks at hand” (p. 224). To address the hypothesis of this study, it is possible to use the modified definition mentioned above: morale is the personnel’s commitment to the organizational culture and goals, their confidence and loyalty, as well as enthusiasm, associated with their daily functions. It is possible to use the following operational definition of the concept. Pope, Lovell, and Brandl (2000) use the scale to measure people’s satisfaction with police performance. The morale can be measured using the scale of satisfaction with job, tasks, and operations, as well as the working environment. This concept is also closely connected with the level of preparedness to work in the same environment.
To address the hypothesis, it is possible to utilize a mixed research design. The data collection process will include the collection of quantitative (through a survey) and qualitative data (through an interview) data. All the police officers of the department will complete short surveys while five officers will be chosen randomly for interviews. The survey will include the questions provided below.
- Are you satisfied with your working conditions concerning time available to complete daily tasks?
- Totally
- Partially
- Quite satisfied
- Not quite satisfied
- Completely unsatisfied
- Are you satisfied with the tools provided to maintain order in the streets?
- Totally
- Partially
- Quite satisfied
- Not quite satisfied
- Completely unsatisfied
- Do you agree that officers are overloaded with tasks due to limited human resources in the department?
- Totally agree
- Partially agree
- Quite agree
- Not quite agree
- Completely disagree
- Are you satisfied with the equipment available to do paperwork?
- Totally
- Partially
- Quite satisfied
- Not quite satisfied
- Completely unsatisfied
- Are you satisfied with the training opportunities available?
- Totally
- Partially
- Quite satisfied
- Not quite satisfied
- Completely unsatisfied
- Estimate the likelihood of your working in this department within the next two years.
- 90-100%
- 60-89%
- 50-59%
- 20-49%
- 0-19%
- Please rate the following issues as they affect your job satisfaction (where 1 will be the biggest issue that leads to your job dissatisfaction):
- lack of efficient equipment in the line of duty (bulletproof vests, weapons, handcuffs, body cameras, drones, and so on)
- lack of office equipment
- lack of personnel
- lack of resources
- ineffective reward system
- lack of training opportunities
- low salary
The data collected will help identify the police officers’ views on their morale and factors affecting it. The survey will provide quantitative data covering the entire personnel, while interviews will provide some insights into the officers’ perspectives on the matter. The interview questions (open-ended) will be developed based on the survey questions to elicit more information on the subject.
In conclusion, it is possible to note that the examination of the department’s personnel morale will involve the focus on such aspects as job satisfaction, commitment to work in the same working environment, the availability of resources, equipment, and staff. A mixed research design will be used. All officers will complete surveys, and five officers will be interviewed. This approach will enable the researcher to identify the overall morale and factors affecting it with some insights that shed light on the matter.
References
Archbold, C. A. (2012). Policing: A text/reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Ercikti, S., Vito, G. F., Walsh, W. F., & Higgins, G. E. (2011). Major determinants of job satisfaction among police managers. The Southwest Journal of Criminal Justice, 8(1), 97-111.
McCarty, W. P., & Skogan, W. G. (2013). Job-related burnout among civilian and sworn police personnel. Police Quarterly, 16(1), 66-84.
Pope, C., Lovell, R., & Brandl, S. G. (2000). Voices from the field: Readings in criminal justice research. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.