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Researchers Welford Wilms (left) and Alex Norman have been studying the climate at the LAPD since 1994. |
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BY WARREN ROBAK
The Los Angeles Police Department is beset by low morale caused by officers' increasing fear of punishment and division between rank-and-file officers and department leaders, according to a six-year study by researchers from UCLA and USC.
A quarter of the department's workforce describe themselves as being "burned out," and more than half say they would leave the department if given the opportunity.
"Our report paints a portrait of an organization that is under intense stress because of pressures from inside and from outside its ranks," said Wellford Wilms, a professor in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and co-director of the project. "Officers' morale is eroding. Their quality of life is eroding. All the numbers are going the wrong way. I think it's a situation that can be reversed, but it has to be stopped now."
While the study shows that the LAPD faces many challenges, researchers also found that the department has a remarkably committed workforce. Officers surveyed, particularly long-tenured employees, said service to the community was the most satisfying aspect of their job.
The report, "The Strain of Change: Voices of the Los Angeles Police Officers," is the first public release of preliminary findings from a study that began in 1994 as a way to assess how the LAPD was coping with changes prompted by the Rodney King beating. The report is the most detailed review of the department during that period. The research team included co-director Warren Schmidt of USC and Alex Norman, professor emeritus of UCLA's School of Public Policy and Social Research. All three are experts in management and organizational behavior.
The report highlights data from surveys conducted over the past four years, observations made during more than 100 ride-alongs and interviews with employees, from patrol officers and clerks to police chiefs Bernard Parks, Bayan Lewis and Willie Williams.
"The openness of the department really surprised us," Wilms said. "Once we got in a police car, there was no evidence that officers held back anything from us. We received remarkable cooperation, from the police chiefs right on down the chain of command."
Perhaps surprisingly, researchers found that few LAPD employees view racial or gender discrimination as a major departmental problem. Very few employees perceived racial or gender issues as barriers at work, and more than 90% reported that employees from different backgrounds are welcome in the department.
Not surprisingly, much of the displeasure of rank-and-file officers is directed at Parks, who has made a large number of changes since becoming police chief in 1997. The biggest factor cited by officers for the drop in morale was a strict, new disciplinary system that officers described as punitive and one that leaves them vulnerable to frivolous complaints.
The policy prompts a formal investigation into every complaint, with little discretion given to commanders to dismiss an action early on. Officers cannot receive promotions or transfers until a complaint is resolved, which takes an average of nine to 12 months. Since the policy was adopted in 1998, the number of complaints filed has more than doubled.
Researchers said they are not playing the role of critics with this report but only serve as observers and documenters of police perspectives. "We hope that their voices will be heard and heeded by those who shape the future of the LAPD," Schmidt said.
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