The noble cause: An empirical assessment

✍ Scribed by John Crank; Dan Flaherty; Andrew Giacomazzi

• Book ID: 104021356
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 212 KB
• Volume: 35
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0047-2352
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2006.11.019

✦ Synopsis

Literature on police ethics has employed the term "noble cause" to describe a utilitarian orientation toward crime control. No empirical research, however, has systematically investigated the noble cause, a shortcoming addressed in this study. A survey of deputies in a western sheriff's office provided the setting for the current research. Twelve items tapping the noble cause revealed a multidimensional latent structure composed of three factors. Findings did not support the presence of a link between measures of the noble cause and crime. A positive though inconsistent relationship was found between measures of the noble cause and deputies' attitudes toward administrators.