Crime fighting: law enforcement and service provider role orientations in community‐based police officers

Surveys a police department in a medium‐sized Canadian city to investigate ethnocentrism and role orientation, in particular the officer’s role as crime fighter rather than service provider. Finds that respondents view crime fighting to be more socially significant and personally satisfying than other activities and that they perceived this as having the highest degree of public support. Notes that an adherence by officers to the crime fighting role may tend to keep officers alienated from the community, thus causing increasing role conflict as North America embraces more fully the service delivery model.