Assessing the effects of LEAA demise on criminal justice higher education

The historical growth of criminal justice education programs can be directly related to the creation of LEAA and the education incentive program, LEEP. With the demise of LEAA and federal funding, there is the natural question of what effect, if any, this lack of financial support might have on criminal justice education programs. A stratified sample of 125 colleges and universities having such programs was surveyed to determine possible effects in student enrollments, characteristics, research funding, and other perceived changes. The data illustrate that changes in student characteristics appeared to be more significant in relation to enrollment changes than did LEAA/LEEP withdrawal. Program increases have been generally related to increases in full-time, preservice students and larger numbers of minorities and females. Programs which relied heavily on part-time, in-service students declined the most in enrollments. Colleges and universities with growing graduate programs experienced growth in bachelor and associate degrees as well. The demise of LEAA funding appears to have negatively affected most dramatically technical type programs which attracted large numbers of in-service, male, part-time students. Those which broadened their student characteristics appear to have been less affected.     

Police attitudes toward the utilization of civilian employees

Given that the disposition of patrol officers significantly affect the implementation of policy, the attitudes of patrolmen toward utilization of civilian personnel in two department differing in their rate of civilianization, were compared in this study. Based on a random sample, consisting of approximately 25% of the patrolmen from each department, attitudes toward each of three examined aspects of civilianzation were more positive among officers from the more civilianized department. After controlling for socioeconomic variables, it was also determined that younger, more educated and less experienced patrolmen, respectively, held motte positive belief about civilian usage.