Search

The killing of up to 40,000–50,000 Jews in Bogdanovka in the winter of 1941–1942 represented one of the largest murder operations carried out during the Holocaust outside of Auschwitz, Sobibor and Treblinka extermination camps. The massacre was the result of a cooperation between the German "Sonderkommando Russland" with the support of the "volksdeutscher Selbstschutz" as well as the Romanian gendarmes and their Ukrainian auxiliary forces. This article examines this massacre in three different aspects. The first part reconstructs how Transnistria was administered on a bilateral level between Nazi Germany and fascist Romania, and became a place of mass extermination. The second part of the article deals with the reconstruction of the massacre in a micro-historical perspective by using chiefly eyewitness interviews of local residents. The last part of this work, which is based on an organizational sociological approach, examines the mobilization and willingness to kill of those ethnic Germans who were recruited by the Sonderkommando Russland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural police officers confront unique professional challenges and opportunities. Little research exists on these dynamics, and most empirical knowledge of rural policing comes from the United States, Britain, and Australia. This study helps to address this gap by examining what rural police officers in Iceland present as their main professional challenges and opportunities. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 23 police officers. The interviewees framed understaffing, overwork, an extensive range of tasks with little to no backup, and a blurring of work-life boundaries as the main challenges of rural policing. Working in tight-knit rural communities, however, offers rural police officers opportunities to develop a broad skillset, innovate, and mobilize the community's social capital. Most importantly, rural police officers must master the art of soft policing, which requires superior communication skills centred on extensive dialogue, negotiation, de-escalation, and minimal use of force to build trust and consensus. Iceland's egalitarian and tight-knit society, which fosters public trust in the police, cooperation, and informal social control, helps officers in this regard. The findings reveal a distinct 'rural police professionalism' that extends beyond the workplace and overlaps with and complements 'urban police professionalism'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Secuencia: Revista de Historia y Ciencias Sociales is the property of Instituto de Investigaciones - Dr. Jose M. Luis Mora and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Drawing on never-before-utilized archival and oral sources, "Making Peasants Chèf" contends that decades of peasant marginalization from political power created the social and political conditions for the rise of the infamous tonton makout militia under the dictator François Duvalier. After coming to power in 1957, Duvalier militarized and rearmed peasants in exchange for their loyalty. Thousands of previously ostracized peasants enlisted in the dreaded makout militia to access status and political power. This explains why the peasant-based militia formed an arm of state repression. With the support of an armed peasantry, Duvalier successfully repressed the political opposition, allowing the regime to stay in power for almost three decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Canadian police data on homicide involving domestic dispute calls from 1960 to the present ( n = 20), as well as on in-depth interviews with police officers ( n = 33) working in rural and remote communities, the authors reexamine the argument that police attendance at domestic disturbance calls can pose a special threat to officer safety. Although some scholarship suggests that purported risks have been overstated, the authors argue that location may be a critical factor in reducing or heightening not only risks to officers, but also to victims. Although intended as an exploratory work, situated within the context of cultural support for domestic violence in rural communities, the authors raise both interesting policy implications, as well as potential avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Historia Agraria is the property of Historia Agraria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As types of offences in the activity of the rural police are the following: offences against the person,offences against property, offences on traffic and violations of the forestry regime. For example: Offences againstthe person, injury or other violence, physical injury, serious body injury, injuries that cause death, murder;offences against property - theft, robbery, abuse of trust, possession disorder, deception; infringements on traffic -driving without a license; breaches of the forest: illegally cutting and removing of the trees.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the theory of police integrity, particularly its fourth dimension, on a centralized police agency and to assess the degree to which levels of police integrity are related to the characteristics of the larger environment. Design/methodology/approach – In 2008, a stratified representative sample of 945 Croatian police officers from ten police administrations evaluated 11 hypothetical scenarios describing a range of various forms of police misconduct. The questionnaire measures officer views regarding scenario seriousness, appropriate and expected discipline, and willingness to report the misconduct. Findings – Bivariate analyses show that police officers’ evaluations of seriousness differed across categories of police administrations for more than one-half of the scenarios. Multivariate analyses reveal that, once organizational predictors are entered into the models, community characteristics remain significant predictors of seriousness evaluations for only a few scenarios. Research limitations/implications – The analytical strategies were limited by the number of police administrations in the country. Practical implications – The results indicate that levels of police integrity in large, centralized organizations vary across units and that the characteristics of the communities the police are a contributing factor to these differences. At the same time, organizational characteristics carry substantial weight. Originality/value – Prior studies of police integrity focussed on the organizational aspects (the first three dimensions of the theory); the present paper extends the literature to ascertain the importance of the larger environment and its characteristics for levels of police integrity (the fourth dimension of the police integrity theory). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how rapid population growth resulting from the oil boom affects police organizations in western North Dakota. Design/methodology/approach – Using face-to-face interviews with 101 police personnel working in eight law enforcement agencies, this study explores how rapid population growth affects police organizations (in general), police resources, and the work environment of police organizations located in four counties in western North Dakota. Resource dependency theory and contingency theory provide a theoretical framework for understanding how changes in the communities (external environment) have led to changes within police organizations in this region. Findings – Rapid population growth resulting from the oil boom in western North Dakota has required police agencies to make changes in the way that they are structured and function. In addition, the rapid increase in population has also strained police organizations’ resources. Research limitations/implications – The findings from this study may only be applicable to police organizations in western North Dakota. Interviews are based on police officers’ perceptions. Practical implications – Findings from this study suggest that police organizations in western North Dakota are currently experiencing a bad “fit” with their external environment. In order to get back to a good “fit” additional resources are needed from the state government. Social implications – The number of calls for police service have increased dramatically since the oil boom began in 2008 in the Bakken region of western North Dakota. The addition of police officers and needed resources has not kept pace with the rapid population growth. The quality of police service to the public will decline if additional resources are not made available to police organizations. Originality/value – This paper features the first and only study of the impact of rapid population growth on police organizations in western North Dakota. This study is both timely and important as the population growth in western North Dakota is predicted to continue for several decades into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research on the unique challenges of rural policing is increasing, these challenges are still underrecognised by accepted models of best practice or by policing supervisors and trainers, policy makers, and the public. This article reports a study of policing that set out to trace not only the unique knowledge and skills required in rural areas, but also the learning undertaken by officers to develop these capacities. These understandings can be used to provide more effective support for policing education and professional learning. The study itself involved individual and group interviews held with 34 police officers ranging in rank and working in diverse locations of northern rural Scotland: islands, highlands, towns and villages. The demands of rural policing identified in the findings, and the strategies that officers developed to meet these demands, were organised into four sections. The first is the broad range of crime that rural officers must confront, and their own vulnerability as they often feel very much on their own. Second is the requirement for continual negotiation with the community, through interactions ranging from the mundane to the threatening, with individuals and with groups. Third is the challenge of balancing a double role: being 'in' the community or 'of' the community. Finally, the issues of leadership are described in terms of understanding the unique challenges of rural policing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chief concern of this article is the organization and administration of rural policing in colonial Bengal during the last 40 years of the nineteenth century. It connects its design and implementation with the consolidation of India's colonial police force, while highlighting the ongoing negotiations made by the Bengal police in a wider colonial model. The article argues that the police administration of rural Bengal was shaped initially by the ordinary constraints of the colonial state which underpinned the design of the Indian police—namely its frugality and preference for collaborating with local intermediaries, a manifestation of salutary neglect. Yet, it highlights the role of Bengal's largely British police executive in renegotiating customs of governance and, ultimately, as an established model of policing in India. The article focuses, therefore, on ongoing and at times informal police reforms which were based upon notions contradictory to an official discourse about policing in India. This article thus contextualizes the development of rural police administration in Bengal in a strong tradition of police-led reform in the province. In so doing, the article redresses a traditional historiographical focus on the political origins and coercive function of the police, and problematizes current research which situates Indian policing within customs of British governance in the subcontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although some insight into the sources and scope of occupational stress among rural police officers exists, historically, researchers have focused largely on their policing styles, rather than the relationship between what officers do and how they feel about their work as police in rural jurisdictions. To address this lacuna in knowledge and literature, we draw on data collected from semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 active police officers, each of whom is presently assigned to one of seven rural police detachments in a province in Eastern Canada and field observation of police working in a rural detachment in this same province. In adopting a role theory perspective, we first reveal how officers operationalize their roles as law enforcers, peacekeepers, social workers and/or knowledge workers. We then examine their experiences of role strain as a result of mismatches between their desired versus actual occupational role(s). The majority of officers aspired to hold either the law enforcement or social worker role, which they saw as being most closely associated with their perceptions of what it means to be a ‘police officer’. However, most felt they performed tasks related to less desirable roles, which was tied to role strain. Training recommendations are discussed for officers recruited for rural policing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some time, police departments have been disappearing from rural communities in North Carolina. This article seeks to locate the factors facilitating the disbandment of small police departments and speculate on the implications for public safety in small jurisdictions. Using structured interviews with key informants in 19 North Carolina municipalities, the final stages or “turning points” of organizational life are chronicled and analyzed. Certain events and conditions contribute significantly to the decline and death of police agencies, including political turbulence, organizational atrophy, and environmental atrophy. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to compare the community level factors associated with police strength and operational costs in Aboriginal police services from four different geographic zones, including remote communities inaccessible by road[1]. Design/methodology/approach -- Analysis of variance was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in per capita policing costs, the officer to resident ratio, an index of community well-being and crime severity in 236 rural and remote Canadian communities. Findings -- The authors found that places that were geographically inaccessible or further from urban areas had rates of police-reported crime several times the national average and low levels of community well-being. Consistent with those results, the per capita costs of policing were many times greater than the national average, in part due to higher officer to resident ratios. Research limitations/implications -- These results are from rural Canada and might not be generalizable to other nations. Practical implications -- Given the complex needs of these communities, these findings reinforce the importance of delivering full-time professional police services in rural and remote communities. Short duration or temporary postings may reduce police legitimacy as residents may perceive that their rural or Aboriginal status makes them less valued than city dwellers. As a result, agencies should prioritize the retention of experienced officers in these communities. Originality/value -- These findings validate the observations of officers about the challenges that must be overcome in policing these distinctive communities. This information can be used to inform future studies of rural and remote policing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research seeks to understand what factors better explain United States game warden fatalities. The data originated from the Officer Down Memorial Page website. From 1886-2012, there were 265, game warden fatalities. These incidents were analyzed based on whether they were felonious in nature, on the season of the year, the region of the United States, the activity at the time of death, and the decade when the death occurred. The results indicated that felonious fatalities were most likely to transpire in the fall, in the Southern region, while the game warden was engaged in a fish and wildlife job related duty, and that these fatalities are less prevalent now than in the past. With almost no empirical research on this important topic, additional research is needed before more definitive conclusions can be proffered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research note documents the recent controversy surrounding the closure of police stations in the UK between 2007 and 2012. It examines the statistics as reported in the press and discusses the rhetoric used in the debate to draw conclusions about how the closure of police stations will affect rural policing and rural crime. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While numerous studies have examined the causes, correlates, and control of police use of force, many questions remain. This study contributes to the literature on police use of force by examining the role of officers’ background characteristics, job characteristics (patrol area and shift assignment), and arrest activity in explaining variation in the frequency with which officers use force. Analyses were conducted on 1,084 police officers employed in a large municipal police department. Use of force data were obtained from 477 official departmental reports from 2010. Results suggest that a small proportion of officers are responsible for a large proportion of force incidents, and that officers who frequently use force differ in important and significant ways from officers who use force less often (or not at all). Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nigérien jendarmes invest considerable creative energy in their daily paperwork. I explore how the gendarmes conceive of the writing of seemingly purely bureaucratic documents, procès-verbaux, in aesthetic terms. At the same time, I ground the aesthetic appreciatiPn of these documents in the gendarmes' socio professional environment. Writing an aesthetically satisfying procès-verbal is a means of gaining respect from colleagues and superiors and of justifying and actualizing gendarmes' self-perception as intellectuals in uniform. Bureaucratic work, I argue, is always also aesthetic work, and bureaucratic aesthetics is where aesthetic, pragmatic, and legal reasonings become one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses police officer Alfred John List and his influence on rural policing in the Scottish counties from roughly 1832 to 1877. It comments on his early career in the Metropolitan Police of London, England and his time leading the Haddingtonshire police of East Lothian, Scotland and the Edinburghshire police of Midlothian, Scotland. The theories set forth in List's book "A Practical Treatise on Rural Police" are explored. Other topics include the issue of vagrancy and the transition of policing from a part-time to a full-time occupation.

This article investigates the effect of the devolution of power to the village-level government on the household-level allocation of poverty alleviation programmes, namely, Integrated Rural Development Programmes (IRDP) and Rural Public Works (RPW), drawing upon National Sample Survey data and the Election Commission's election data. First, we found that a greater inequality in land holdings generally leads to less provision of the programmes. Second, the disadvantaged groups were not necessarily the primary beneficiaries. Third, our natural experiment approach confirms that decentralization negatively affected the provision of IRDP, whereas it had a positive impact on the allocation of RPW when Madhya Pradesh was compared with Bihar. It has been suggested that the power and resources were captured by the local elite after decentralization in the case of IRDP, whereas this was not the case for RPW as it involved a self-targeting mechanism and discretionary manipulation by the local elite was likely to be difficult.Cet article examine les effets d'un transfert de pouvoir vers les autorités villageoises sur l′attribution directe aux ménages de programmes d′aide à la lutte contre la pauvreté, à savoir, les Programmes de Développement Rural Intégré et les Travaux Publics Ruraux. Nous nous appuyons sur des données tirées de l′Enquête Nationale et sur celles de la Commission Électorale. Nous constatons, tout d′abord, qu′une plus grande inégalité dans la possession de terres se traduit généralement par une attribution d′aides moins importante. Deuxièmement, les groupes les plus défavorisés ne sont pas toujours les principaux bénéficiaires. Troisièmement, notre approche d′ « expérience naturelle » confirme - quand on compare le Madhya Pradesh et le Bihar - que la décentralisation a eu un effet négatif sur l′attribution de PDRI alors que son impact sur l′attribution de TPR a été positif. Il semble qu′à la suite du processus de décentralisation, les élites locales se soient appropriés le pouvoir et les ressources dans le cas des PDRI, tandis que cela n′a pas été le cas pour les TPR qui mettent en jeu des mécanismes auto-ciblés, rendant difficile la manipulation discrétionnaire par les élites locales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policing is a dangerous and sometimes deadly occupation. Given the remote areas patrolled as well as the presence of fewer officers, rural law enforcement officers face unique dangers on the job. Conservation law enforcement is one type of rural and specialized policing. The purpose of this study was to extend our understanding of the game warden occupation. Little research has been directed toward the study of game wardens and the dangers they encounter on the job. This research took a qualitative approach to data collection and examined dangers and occupational hazards faced by state game wardens in Montana. Causes of game warden deaths in the state were also identified. The findings suggest game wardens in Montana encounter several distinct dangers when performing their jobs, including humans, motor vehicles, and environmental factors. Game wardens receive training that helps them minimize the risk of assault on the job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to compare the self-reported attitudes toward Aboriginal policing of officers in isolated/remote communities with those from accessible Aboriginal communities. Design/methodology/approach - Survey results are reported for 294 officers working in Aboriginal communities throughout Canada. Findings - Officers working in remote jurisdictions tended to be younger, better educated, and had less policing experience than those working in non-isolated Aboriginal communities. Social problems in these remote communities were thought to be more serious than those reported by officers working in accessible Aboriginal communities. Despite these demographic and contextual differences, self-reported attitudes toward Aboriginal policing were generally similar, although officers working in isolated communities tended to report more conservative views on enforcement. Research limitations/implications - The generalizability of the results is limited by the modest (40.7 percent) response rate, and the fact that officers working in Aboriginal agencies were less likely to participate than those working for national or provincial police services. Practical implications - The results suggest that more effective recruiting, training, and retention strategies should be developed for officers working in Aboriginal communities. Originality/value - This is the first comprehensive study of the perceptions of officers toward Aboriginal policing. While the police in isolated communities represent a small proportion of all law enforcement officers, their insight sheds light on this often misunderstood and under-researched aspect of law enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is concerned with perceived differences between rural and urban policing in New Zealand. More specifically with how officers view the effect that rural and urban policing has on their private lives and those of their family members. Using grounded theory as a research method because of its reflexivity in regard to generating questions from emergent data, 16 participants were interviewed. Seven of these participants were stationed in an urban location while nine were recruited from rural stations. The results suggest that rural policing has a greater and often more stressful impact on the private lives of police officers and their families. This suggests a need for the New Zealand Police as an organisation to engage in policy-making that gives greater recognition to the rural aspects of policing, with a particular focus being the provision of support for the families of rural officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extant literature has given only limited consideration to the adoption of intimate partner violence policies and procedures on the part of police organizations, particularly in rural areas and small towns. Using survey data from police agencies in the southern regions of Illinois, this study found that although policies were nearly universal, specific elements varied. Agencies relied heavily on conferences and other departments in formulating their policies, making less use of recommendations from professional associations or the salient literature. The findings suggest variation in how intimate partner violence is perceived and policed in rural areas and small towns while highlighting some of the challenges agencies encounter in addressing this offense within their jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that the policing needs of rural areas can be very different from those of urban areas. Because of the concentration of population and (generally) higher crime rates, reforms in policing often appear to be driven by urban priorities, which raises questions about how they operate in the rural context. This article is concerned with one recent development in England and Wales: the introduction of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Drawing upon interviews with rural PCSOs and the police officers who manage them, this study asks how PCSOs operate in country areas and what difficulties they face. A number of themes emerged: that lack of career development may hinder the formation of long-term ties to a particular community; that the size of beats requires transport; that PCSOs felt unable to respond effectively to minor road traffic offences which were of concern to local residents; that statutory powers to detain could be difficult to enforce; and that PCSOs might be particularly suited to bridge the gap with communities with which the police are having trouble engaging, such as migrant agricultural workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines attitudinal differences between rural and urban police officers in Taiwan. Data used in this research were collected from a rural Taiwanese county, Hualien, and a metropolitan department, Taipei. Officers' occupational attitudes are assessed along four dimensions: group cohesion, citizen cooperation, aggressive enforcement, and order maintenance. The results indicate that, compared to their urban counterparts, rural officers are more likely to show higher levels of group cohesion and favour citizen cooperation. Rural and urban officers, however, do not differ significantly in their attitudes towards aggressive enforcement and order maintenance. Implications for future research and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crime and disorder audits provide the opportunity to identify and address the concerns local people express about local policing. This paper discusses the findings of the 2001 and 2004 Cornwall Crime Surveys (CCSs) and identifies public perceptions of police and policing in the county. The 2004 survey is used to compare those holding more favourable views with those who are critical of the police. The findings are then used to test the hypothesis that those who are more critical of the public police will be more positive about plural policing alternatives. The findings indicate that rural residents' concerns over public safety are accentuated by their concerns that the police in Cornwall are less accessible than those in urban areas and they are generally supportive of increasing the policing mix. However, they clearly see improvements to the public police as the preferred solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show that policing research frequently commits two errors: focusing on urban police units and failing to incorporate theory. The current research considers the policing style adopted by officers in a rural setting and tests the utility of Work Redesign, a theory that explains the importance and role of satisfaction with work. Design/methodology/approach - Rural police officers in community policing and traditional motorized patrol assignments were surveyed regarding policing style, the perceived importance of various tasks, and time allocation. Findings - Findings suggest that community policing has a role in rural areas; however, officers generally endorse the practices of traditional motorized patrol uniformly while only community policing officers endorse COP practices. Research limitations/implications - Although generalizing findings derived from several police agencies to other agencies should be done with caution, the findings are potentially important to agency decision makers regarding assignment and implementation of community policing programs. Originality/value - This paper is of interest to those investigating: the impacts of assignment at the officer level, community policing, the influence of job satisfaction on work, and rural law enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how perceptions of police affect feelings of safety in the community. Using a community survey from a nonmetropolitan area, this study investigates predictors of confidence in police and whether confidence decreases concern with safety. Findings indicate confidence in police is influenced predominantly by impressions that crime has decreased in the community or by having a positive encounter with police. In turn, confidence in police significantly increases feeling safe. These findings suggest that fear of crime can be reduced through positive interactions between police and community residents. Thus, in addition to effectively enforcing the law, efforts to develop good community relations are important for police in smaller town settings, just as for urban police. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the findings of a study that investigated the response of rural police to property-related victimisations on farms. Data for this research come from: (1) a survey among randomly selected farmers in New South Wales, Australia, supplemented by follow-up interviews with farmers who had been victims of crime; and (2) interviews with 36 rural police officers on their views about farm crime. The findings highlight the problems of policing and preventing agricultural crime within the physical, social, and cultural situation of rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a descriptive analysis of assaults against and force by game wardens. Statewide data were provided by Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Spatial temporal and situational factors are examined and some comparisons to police are provided. Distinct spatial and temporal patterns are evident. Attempting an arrest and rendering assistance are the most dangerous situations for assaults on wardens. The strongest factor precipitating assault is offender's behavior. The strongest predictor of use of force is the presence of other police and offender's resistance. Important differences between wardens and police in the use of weapons and injury are identified. Important organizational and situational differences shape the uniqueness of wildlife and conservation law enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This was the first study to investigate the effect of new immigration patterns on police-community relations in small midwestern communities impacted by the development of a large food processing plant and subsequent addition of a large Hispanic population. Using a case study approach, multiple sources of data were collected from law enforcement agencies, community/government leaders, and residents in three rural Missouri communities. The findings revealed that the language barrier was the greatest challenge affecting the development of a police-Hispanic community relationship. Fear of the police, immigration issues, and the nature of contacts between the police and the Latino community also had a significant impact on the relationship. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ideologies having roots in the legal structure of the system of wildlife protection characterize the work culture of the Pennsylvania wilderness officer. This paper examines these ideologies and the characteristically strong social solidarity of the community of wilderness officers. Wilderness officers are both law enforcement agents and conservationists. They mediate between human and animal as well as between what is considered scientific management and what is considered unenlightened and even lawless behavior. In performing this boundary work, wilderness officers participate in the social construction of the science of land management, which views animals as renewable resources. The wilderness officer's job is to insure the continuation of this resource as a part of the natural heritage of Pennsylvania and the United States. The wilderness officer's concept of "animal" becomes a byproduct of this social construction and of the culture of hunting that supports it. The rural upbringing common to many officers suits them ideally to their task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This presentation is a summary of a study looking at the issues faced by teachers, nurses, social workers and police officers in 8 rurally different communities in British Columbia. A triangulation study, it features a review of the literature to identify issues shared across the disciplines, a Delphi probe to verify the issues, the creation of a rurality index in the selection of research skes, and an analysis of interviews revealing a lack of agreement between the experts' views of the issues and that of the practitioners living and working in rural communities. This dissonance results in an identification of two views of rurality; a rural-as-deficient approach that dominates the literature and an approach that sees rurality as something that is different. Findings include the identification of 20 issues shared by rural professionals in British Columbia and a list of 18 inferences about the relationships between the issues and the professionals, between the professionals and their communities, and between the rurality of the communities and the issues; with implications for rural policy-makers, pro-service teacher-educators, and potential rural teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the prior literature concerning police behavior has focused on the activities and citizen interactions of officers employed by large agencies located in urban jurisdictions. Using data collected through the systematic observation of police officers employed by small-town and rural agencies, the present study explores issues related to the work of police officers in smaller jurisdictions. Specifically, we present observational data that provides a detailed description of how these officers spend time on their shifts. In addition, observational data is used to identify the problems these officers confronted, as well as their relationship with the citizens they encountered. Similarities and differences between observed small-town and rural officers and their more urban counterparts are identified and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies have been done on urban police officers, very little research has been directed toward the study of rural and specialized law enforcement personnel. This paper provides a descriptive and exploratory account of factors associated with the use of discretion by a type of specialized, rural law enforcement officer: the game warden. Using qualitative data obtained from open-ended questions in a mail survey as well as in-depth interviews with 24 game wardens in the state of Kentucky, legal and extralegal factors that influence patterns of discretion are described. The extent of prior wildlife related deviance committed by game wardens themselves as youths also was examined. The data revealed widespread use of discretion by game wardens, with factors such as seriousness of the offense, prior contact with wardens, reputation as a violator, and intent of the offender playing key roles in terms of influencing patterns of officer discretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines community policing in rural United States. Comparison of police officer attitudes; Differences in the attitudes between the urban and rural police officers; Perceived community attitudes about the police; Effect of age, race, gender and education on police attitudes.

The focus of this research is to both describe and explain the activities of poachers. This research is based on interviews with 36 poachers. The authors explored the reasons given by some of these men for engaging in this deviant activity. Extensive quotations from interviews with poachers are presented. Primary motivation for this subgroup seems to be the pleasure derived from both the excitement of poaching and the outsmarting of game wardens through the demonstration of superior knowledge of the terrain and hunting skills. The specific intent of the article is to show how Walter Miller's (1958) six focal concerns (i.e., trouble, excitement, smartness, toughness, fate, and autonomy) of urban, lower-class culture parallel the value system of the poachers in this research. Socialization as a generating mechanism for deviance is discussed for further understanding of these crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]