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Police in AmericaPolice in America

Chapter FourChapter Four

Police OrganizationsPolice Organizations

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Quasi-Military Style of Police Quasi-Military Style of Police OrganizationsOrganizations

Officers wear uniformsOfficers wear uniforms Military-style rank designationsMilitary-style rank designations Hierarchical command structureHierarchical command structure Authoritarian organizational styleAuthoritarian organizational style Legal authority to use deadly force and carry weapons Legal authority to use deadly force and carry weapons

Criticisms:

Cultivates an “us versus them” attitude

Encourages the idea of a “war on crime”

Authoritarian style contrary to democratic principles and produces low morale

Rigid structure leaves room for job dissatisfaction

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Police Departments as Police Departments as OrganizationsOrganizations

Dominant style is as a complex bureaucracyDominant style is as a complex bureaucracy Characterized by:Characterized by:

1. Complex organizations1. Complex organizations 2. Tasks assigned to “bureaus”2. Tasks assigned to “bureaus” 3. Hierarchy and clear division of labor3. Hierarchy and clear division of labor 4. Responsibility for specific tasks delegated to lower-ranking 4. Responsibility for specific tasks delegated to lower-ranking

employeesemployees 5. Clear chain of command5. Clear chain of command 6. Clear unity of command6. Clear unity of command 7. Written rules and regulations 7. Written rules and regulations 8. Flow of info according to chain of command8. Flow of info according to chain of command 9. Clear career paths 9. Clear career paths

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Pros and Cons of Bureaucracy Pros and Cons of Bureaucracy in Policingin Policing

Rigid, inflexible, and Rigid, inflexible, and unable to adapt to unable to adapt to

external changesexternal changes Communication within the Communication within the

organization often breaks organization often breaks downdown

Tend to be inward looking, Tend to be inward looking, self-serving, and isolated self-serving, and isolated from the people they servefrom the people they serve

Are accused of not using Are accused of not using the talents of their the talents of their employees and even employees and even stifling creativitystifling creativity

The Problems The Positives Capacity to coordinate many activities at once through specialization of departments

Control of police discretion

Reduction of misconduct

Administrative rule making

Informal Aspects

Horizontal and vertical cliques

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Bureaucracy and Police Bureaucracy and Police ProfessionalismProfessionalism

Professionalism challenged by the Professionalism challenged by the bureaucratic nature of policingbureaucratic nature of policing

Professional departments adopted a “by Professional departments adopted a “by the book” approach to policingthe book” approach to policing

The bureaucracy imposes formal controls The bureaucracy imposes formal controls over the behavior of police officersover the behavior of police officers

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Changing Police OrganizationsChanging Police Organizations

Community PolicingCommunity Policing– Decentralizes decision making (territorial Decentralizes decision making (territorial

and administrative)and administrative)

Task ForcesTask Forces– Officers from different ranks based on Officers from different ranks based on

talentstalents

Creating Learning organizationsCreating Learning organizations– Think about needs, plan and implement Think about needs, plan and implement

change, and learn from achievements and change, and learn from achievements and failuresfailures

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Community PolicingCommunity Policing

Community policing attempts to modify the Community policing attempts to modify the police organization through de-police organization through de-bureaucratization. bureaucratization. 1. decentralize 1. decentralize

2. deformalize2. deformalize

3. despecialize3. despecialize

4. delayerize4. delayerize

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COMPSTAT: Computer COMPSTAT: Computer Comparison StatisticsComparison Statistics

Clarifies the department’s mission, goals, and valuesClarifies the department’s mission, goals, and values Holds managers accountableHolds managers accountable Organizational power and authority transferred to Organizational power and authority transferred to

commanders who are responsible for geographic commanders who are responsible for geographic areasareas

Resources are transferred to commanders.Resources are transferred to commanders. Data used to identify problems and to evaluate Data used to identify problems and to evaluate

success and failure.success and failure. Middle managers expected to use innovative Middle managers expected to use innovative

problem-solving tacticsproblem-solving tactics

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Civil ServiceCivil Service

Formal and legally binding procedures Formal and legally binding procedures governing personnel decisionsgoverning personnel decisions

Nearly universalNearly universal Purpose: to ensure personnel make Purpose: to ensure personnel make

decisions objectively decisions objectively Reinforces the hierarchy of police depts.Reinforces the hierarchy of police depts.

– Rewards hierarchy - Status hierarchyRewards hierarchy - Status hierarchy– Seniority hierarchy - Rank hierarchySeniority hierarchy - Rank hierarchy

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Police UnionsPolice Unions

Majority of police officers Majority of police officers represented by unionsrepresented by unions

Three major police unions:Three major police unions: 1. Fraternal Order of Police1. Fraternal Order of Police 2. International Union of 2. International Union of

Police AssociationsPolice Associations 3. Teamsters Law 3. Teamsters Law

Enforcement LeagueEnforcement League

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Police Unions ContinuedPolice Unions Continued

Collective BargainingCollective Bargaining– ““The method of determining conditions of The method of determining conditions of

employment through bilateral negotiations”employment through bilateral negotiations” Grievance ProceduresGrievance Procedures

– Provides due process to employeesProvides due process to employees Unions and Shared GovernanceUnions and Shared Governance Impasse Settlement and StrikesImpasse Settlement and Strikes Impact of Police UnionsImpact of Police Unions

– Improvements in salaries and benefitsImprovements in salaries and benefits

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Police Organizations and Their Police Organizations and Their EnvironmentEnvironment

Contingency TheoryContingency Theory Organizations are structured to achieve specific Organizations are structured to achieve specific

goals (crime control)goals (crime control) Institutional TheoryInstitutional Theory

Organizations operate in relation to their Organizations operate in relation to their external social and political environmentexternal social and political environment

Resource Dependency TheoryResource Dependency Theory Organizations must obtain resources to surviveOrganizations must obtain resources to survive