ABSTRACT

Pre-arrest diversion programs rely on officers’ discretion to divert low-level offenders to outside services in lieu of arrest. Few studies have examined how officers’ policing orientations influence their willingness to make referrals to these programs. The current study examined the relationship between policing styles including service-oriented which prioritizes serving the community; watchman which involves an order maintenance approach; and legalistic which emphasizes strict law enforcement and the officers’ willingness to divert. Using survey data collected from officers (n = 110) attending a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion training, the current study found that officers with a legalistic policing style were less likely to make a referral while officers who scored higher on service-oriented policing were more likely to make a referral. A watchman style of policing did not have a significant effect on referral likelihood after controlling for other factors. Findings and implications for efforts to implement similar programs are discussed.

摘要

逮捕前转移计划依靠官员的自由裁量权将低级别罪犯转移到外部服务以代替逮捕。很少有研究考察警官的警务取向如何影响他们转介这些项目的意愿。目前的研究检查了警务风格之间的关系，包括以服务为导向的服务，优先为社区服务；涉及秩序维护方法的守望者；强调严格执法和官员转移注意力的法律主义。使用从参加执法辅助分流培训的警官（n = 110）收集的调查数据，目前的研究发现，具有合法警务风格的警官不太可能进行转介，而在以服务为导向的警务方面得分较高的警官更有可能做推荐。在控制了其他因素后，警卫式的警务对转诊可能性没有显着影响。讨论了实施类似计划的结果和影响。