Author(s):
Arne Appel

Institution:
Hessische Hochschule für öffentliches Management und Sicherheit

Title:
The limits of socialization – A critical examination of the call for police socialization

Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to critically examine the common demand for targeted police socialization and to emphasize the importance of reflective skills. Police socialization is a complex, not fully controllable process in which patterns of behavior emerge between formal guidelines, informal values, and individual experiences. These can promote efficiency, but they can also lead to narrow perspectives and reflexive behavior. The widespread professional image of the police as a “craft” further reinforces these dynamics. Professional action therefore requires less seemingly ideal-typical role models and more conscious examination of one‘s own influences and the promotion of self-reflection, empathy, and communication skills.

S. 48-56