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Police Officers and the Meaning of Work: The Forgotten Dimension

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Abstract

This paper aims to analyze how the interactions present in police officers' jobs affect their meaning of work. We frame our analyzis on the Street-level bureaucracy literature to analyze police officers. The analysis is based on qualitative research with 305 Brazilian police detectives. Findings suggest that macro and micro-interactions affect their meanings of work, which may be positive or negative and may change over time. The paper concludes by arguing the importance of analyzing how the interactive nature of police officers’ jobs is associated with how they give meaning to it.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Getulio Vargas Foundation, Av. Nove de Julho, São Paulo, 2029, Brazil

    Rafael Alcadipani & Gabriela Lotta

  2. Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, Brazil

    Cintia Rodrigues

Authors
  1. Rafael Alcadipani
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  2. Gabriela Lotta
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  3. Cintia Rodrigues
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Correspondence to Gabriela Lotta.

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Appendix. Questions

Appendix. Questions

1. What is your rank in the police?

2. How long have you been a police detective?

3. What was your first motivation to become a police officer?

4. How do you regard your current working conditions? Please give examples

5. How is to be a police detective today? Please give examples that illustrate your answer

6. What are the reasons that make you to still be a police detective? Please give examples that illustrate situations that motivate you to remain in the police

7. Which tasks and activities you perform today that motivate you to be a police officer?

8. Which tasks and activities you perform today that demotivate you to be a police officer?

9. Do you believe you have true friends in the police force today? Please explain

10. Please discuss the current work environment in the police unit you work. Please give examples

11. Do you feel you have respect and admiration from the public you help on your daily work? Please give examples

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Alcadipani, R., Lotta, G. & Rodrigues, C. Police Officers and the Meaning of Work: The Forgotten Dimension. Public Organiz Rev 22, 1081–1097 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-021-00568-8

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