A View From the Middle: Police Supervisors’ Cultural Role Orientations and Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

This study examines the cultural orientations of mid-level police supervisors based on how they prioritized different aspects of the police role, including law enforcement, order maintenance, community policing, and procedural justice. Using a sample of 437 U.S. mid-level supervisors attending the FBI National Academy, a cultural taxonomy approach used by police culture research to study line officers and police chiefs was applied. Cluster analysis identified five distinct groups: New Traditionalists, Peacekeepers, Law & Order Professionals, Procedural Justice Oriented, and Lay-Lows. Supervisors’ emotional intelligence (EI) was a key predictor of supervisor types, with higher EI associated with more balanced, positive orientations. The findings are compared to prior police culture taxonomy studies. This research contributes to the understanding of how police culture varies across rank and highlights the potential benefits of incorporating EI into research on police supervisors.

Keywords

police culture police supervision emotional intelligence role orientations cultural taxonomies

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