L.A. Police United in Attitude, Survey Says : Law enforcement: Researchers find that despite an influx of women and minorities, members of the force think and act alike. Critics contend uniformity stifles sensitivity.

Despite the recruitment of unprecedented numbers of female, black and Latino officers over the last decade, members of the Los Angeles Police Department still think and act with remarkable uniformity, according to a study by the Claremont Graduate School.

The study, based on a survey of more than 1,000 officers, found that they have similar opinions about their lives, jobs and ideals--regardless of their sex or race.

“Bringing all these women and minorities onto the force has not made any significant change in the way the police perform,” said George T. Felkenes, a criminal justice professor at the college who led the project. “Once they get into the department, they’re shaped and molded into what the department wants them to be.”

Women and minorities responded just as white males did in saying they are very satisfied with their careers, are loyal to the force and believe the values of the department closely mirror their own, the researchers found.

On a four-point scale, in which 4 means they “strongly agree,” officers averaged a 3.49 when asked their reaction to the statement, “I am proud to work for this department.” Sex and race had almost no bearing on the response.

During their first year on patrol, officers of diverse backgrounds experienced successes and failures that were much the same, the study showed. Commendations were received by 85.4% of the officers, a number that was consistent among all groups.

Citizen complaints were lodged against 28.7% of all officers. Women officers fared somewhat better, with 22.1% drawing complaints. But officers who received complaints compiled about the same number--1.62 each--regardless of race or sex.

“They’re all clones,” said James Lasley, a criminal justice professor at Cal State Fullerton, who assisted in the project.

Deputy Chief Mark A. Kroeker, the Police Department’s commanding officer for personnel and training, hailed the findings as an affirmation of the department’s professional, egalitarian approach.

“It’s like the adage in our recruitment campaign, that ‘all our cops come in one color--blue,’ ” Kroeker said. “We’re getting to the point where it really doesn’t matter what gender or race you are. We’re just all cops.”

But some critics of the department, while applauding the hiring of more women and minorities, contended that such uniformity has stifled the sensitivity they had hoped a diverse force would bring.

Although the Claremont researchers did not directly solicit officers’ opinions on race and police tactics, civil rights leaders said the study was an indication that diversity does not necessarily translate into less-confrontational policing.

“Of course we should have more women and black and Hispanic officers,” said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. “But what we find is the tactics of the Police Department are just as brutal. The tone hasn’t changed at all.”

Joseph Duff, president of the Los Angeles branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, said there seems to be an “LAPD view of the world” that is inculcated in most officers.

“The department teaches a certain kind of reaction toward certain groups of people,” Duff said. “There’s many situations where minority officers should be asserting their feelings and backgrounds . . . but there’s a lot of pressure to go with that prevailing sentiment.”

Before the researchers began their study, all their questions were approved by Los Angeles Police Department officials, who advised them against directly probing racially sensitive areas.

Nonetheless, a few questions addressed officers’ perceptions of their relationship with the public, and these produced some of the study’s few distinctions--however minor--according to the sex and race of the respondents.

When asked how cooperative they find the public, non-minorities and males tended to view citizens as somewhat more eager to help than did females and minorities.

Similarly, males and non-minorities almost uniformly said that police officers have no greater understanding of human behavior than does the average person. But women and minorities were slightly more inclined to say that police have a “peculiar view” of behavior because of the “misery and cruelty” they see every day.

“In a quasi-military organization, you’ve got to expect a certain amount of conformity,” said Hubert Williams, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Police Foundation, a research group. “But I don’t think that means you lose your identity.”

The study was funded by a $125,000 grant from the Los Angeles-based John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation, which promotes academic research in the social sciences, economics, government and history. The results are included in a 369-page report published by the Claremont Graduate School’s Center for Politics and Policy.

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of two 1980 consent decrees that settled a federal lawsuit brought against the department seven years earlier by a female sergeant, Fanchon Blake.

Under those agreements, the department agreed to accelerate hiring of women until they constitute 20% of the force. Officials also agreed to increase the number of blacks and Latinos to equal their percentage in the Los Angeles work force.

Although it was thought that those long-term goals would take more than 20 years to implement, the study found the department has made substantial progress toward meeting the quotas.

In the last 10 years, women have gone from 2.4% to 12.2% of what is now an 8,100-officer department. Blacks have gone from 6.7% to 13.2%. Latinos, whose numbers have increased the most, went from 10.7% to 20.4%, the study showed.

In those same years, the percentage of white males dropped from 78.8% to 56.5%.

“It’s really way better than any of us ever dreamed,” said A. Thomas Hunt, one of Blake’s attorneys.

Blake, now retired and living in the Seattle area, said she was not surprised to learn that the new officers have values similar to those of the old guard.

“Human beings are human beings,” said Blake, who served 25 years on the force. “If you’re qualified, you can do the job.”

Despite those dramatic changes in the demographics of the force, almost all officers--regardless of sex or race--told the researchers they would turn down better-paying jobs to stay with the Los Angeles department, would stay in their present positions if given a second chance and would work harder to help the department if needed.

In general, Los Angeles police believe that the average officer is dedicated to high ideals and service, that newspapers give an unfavorable picture of what officers do and that arrests are the result of hard work and dedication, the study found.

“Are more diverse officer populations likely to produce change in existing police administrations or are existing police administrations likely to produce standardization in diverse officer populations?” the study asked in its conclusion. “For LAPD . . . the latter answer fits best.”

STUDY OF L.A. POLICE Some of the findings of a Claremont Graduate School survey of more than 1,000 Los Angeles police officers:

* Officers receiving commendations during first year on patrol: Minority officers: 83.3% Non-minority officers: 86.7% Male officers: 85.3% Female officers: 85.4%

* Officers receiving citizen complaints during first year on patrol: Minority officers: 29.1% Non-minority officers: 25.9% Male officers: 29.0% Female officers: 22.1%

* Similarity of personal and departmental values, on a scale of 1 to 4--with 4 meaning they’re “strongly” similar: Minority officers: 2.98 Non-minority officers: 3.05 Male officers: 3.00 Female officers: 3.07

* Attitudes toward newspapers, on a scale of 1 to 5--with 5 being most critical of coverage police receive: Minority officers: 4.38 Non-minority officers: 4.58 Male officers: 4.49 Female officers: 4.51

* Perceived cooperation from the public, on a scale of 1 to 5--with 1 meaning citizens are eager to help police and 5 meaning they are apt to obstruct: Minority officers: 2.43 Non-minority officers: 2.18 Male officers: 2.22 Female officers: 2.48