Do disciplinary matrices moderate the effects of prior disciplinary actions on perceived organizational support (POS) among police officers?
| Date | 01 December 2018 |
| Author | Paul D Reynolds,Richard C Helfers |
| DOI | 10.1177/1461355718816718 |
| Published date | 01 December 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Do disciplinary matrices moderate
the effects of prior disciplinary actions
on perceived organizational support
(POS) among police officers?
Paul D Reynolds
(Department of Criminal Justice,) University of North Texas at Dallas, USA
Richard C Helfers
(Department of Social Sciences,) The University of Texas at Tyler, USA
Abstract
Previous research has argued that disciplinary matrices should increase positive attitudes toward the administration
because this form of disciplinary practice allows for more salient, consistent, and predictable outcomes; however, no
research has examined the in fluence of disciplinary ac tions on police officers’ att itudes, particularly amon g officers
working in smaller agencies. Therefore, this exploratory study assessed the relationship between a department having
a disciplinary matrix and perceived organizational support (POS) among police officers. Data were collected via a self-
reported anonymous online survey administered by a state-wide police officer association in the southern USA. The
findings suggest that the presence of a disciplinary matrix, a policy consisting of organizational justice components, has a
positive association with officers’ POS and it also moderates disciplined officers’ POS. Thus, providing support that police
administrators may be able to enhance organizational attitudes through the development and implementation of policies
that adhere to organizational justice principles.
Keywords
Discipline, discipline matrix, police, perceived organizational support, organizational justice
Submitted 15 May 2018, accepted 01 Nov 2018
Police are often described as the cornerstone of a democ-
racy in the USA. Yet, for law enforcement to effectively
perform its role and preserve legitimacy in the eyes of
society, law enforcement must be recognized for their
achievements and held accountable for their transgressions
(President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015).
1
Several strategies have been used to reduce, detect, an d
prevent abuse and corruption across agencies; such as citi-
zen review boards, citizen complaint policies, integrity
tests, internal affair units, early warning systems, and dis-
ciplinary matrices (Worrall and Schmalleger, 2018).
Albeit, few studies have examined the effectiveness of dis-
ciplinary practices to reduce police misconduct or corrup-
tion (Harris et al., 2015) or the manner these practices may
influence police officers’ attitudes and perceptions toward
their organizations (Shane, 2012).
Effective policing depends on police departments imple-
menting disciplinary processes that are capable of attending
to the needs of citizens, the department, and officers. Cit-
izens need to know that officers will be held accountable
for their unethical or unprofessional actions (Pollock,
2017). Thus, police departments should explore avenues
toward enhancing accountability through salient,
Corresponding author:
Richard C Helfers, Department of Social Sciences, The University of Texas
at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd, Tyler, TX 75799, USA.
Email: rhelfers@uttyler.edu
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
2018, Vol. 20(4) 272–283
ªThe Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1461355718816718
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