Law enforcement personnel perceptions of the relative importance of characteristics associated with effective law enforcement legal instructors

The purpose of this study was to determine law enforcement personnel perceptions of the relative importance of characteristics associated with effective law enforcement legal instructors. The following questions were asked in order to accomplish the purpose of this study: (1) What are the perceptions of law enforcement personnel regarding the relative importance of characteristics of effective law enforcement legal instructors? (2) What is the nature of the relationship between three personal variables and law enforcement personnel perceptions of the relative importance of characteristics of effective law enforcement legal instructors? In order to answer this question, three sub-questions were asked: (a) What is the nature of the relationship between the job series of law enforcement personnel and their perceptions of the relative importance of characteristics of effective law enforcement legal instructors? (b) What is the nature of the relationship between the amount of prior legal training law enforcement personnel have and their perceptions of the relative importance of characteristics of effective law enforcement legal instructors? (c) What is the nature of the relationship between the amount of law enforcement experience law enforcement personnel have and their perceptions of the relative importance of characteristics of effective law enforcement legal instructors?;Data for this study were collected from surveying law enforcement personnel attending law enforcement training programs that contained one or more two-hour legal classes as part of the program.;Recommendations for practice were made regarding the application of the findings within the specific venue in which the research was conducted. Recommendations for additional research were made including using different methodologies that might result in more variability in response than was found in this study.