NCJ Number
18279
Date Published
1975
Length
106 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY TESTED A MODEL OF THE ANTICIPATED DETERMINANTS AND EFFECTS OF PROFESSIONALIZATION AND OTHER MAJOR FEATURES OF POLICE ORGANIZATIONS BY MEANS OF AN ANALYSIS OF POLICE ORGANIZATIONS IN CITIES OF 50,000 OR MORE.
Abstract
ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL WAS DEVELOPED WHICH CONTAINED THE FOLLOWING DIMENSIONS: SIZE, WEALTH, PROFESSIONALIZATION, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT, INTERORGANIZATIONAL FIELD LINKAGE, COMPLEXITY, DISTRIBUTION OF AUTHORITY, CHANGE, AND PERSONNEL TURNOVER. THE DATA BASE WAS A SAMPLE OF 139 POLICE DEPARTMENTS WHICH WAS OBTAINED FROM A TOTAL POPULATION SURVEY OF DEPARTMENTS FROM CITIES OF 50,000 AND ABOVE. VIA FACTOR ANALYTIC TECHNIQUES IT IS SHOWN THAT GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROFESSIONALIZATION (E.G., COLLEGE TRAINING) ARE NOT RELATED TO THE USE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR RECRUITMENT, TRAINING, AND PROMOTIONAL EVALUATION. HENCE AN IMPORTANT DIMENSION OF PROFESSIONALIZATION GIVEN PARTICULAR ATTENTION AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL IS STRUCTURALLY ISOLATED. DIRECT CIVIL DISTURBANCE EXPERIENCE WAS FOUND TO HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT UPON PROFESSIONALIZATION. SIZE, PROFESSIONALIZATION, AND INTERORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIPS SHOWED IMPORTANT AND COMPLEMENTARY IMPACTS ON STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY BUT LITTLE IMPACT ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF FORMAL AUTHORITY. OF PARTICULAR NOTE, PROFESSIONALIZATION WAS NOT FOUND TO BE RELATED TO GREATER DECENTRALIZATION OF AUTHORITY, THUS AGAIN HIGHLIGHTING ITS STRUCTURAL ISOLATION. FINALLY, THE FINDINGS CONCERNING TURNOVER SUGGESTED A GROWING PROBLEM WHICH APPEARED TO BE RELATED TO THE PUSH TOWARD PROFESSIONALIZATION IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. THE POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF THESE AND OTHER FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)