NCJ Number
35948
Date Published
1975
Length
30 pages
Annotation
REFORMERS, STRESSING THE PERFORMANCE CRITERIA OF EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY, ASSUMED THAT LARGE POLICE JURISDICTIONS WOULD REALIZE ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND PRODUCE THE BEST SERVICES AT THE LEAST COST.
Abstract
POLICE RESPONSIVENESS TO CITIZENS' INTERESTS WAS GIVEN LOW PRIORITY. HOWEVER, THIS HIERARCHICAL, MARKET STRUCTURE FOSTERED ISOLATION OF LARGE CITY POLICEMAN FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS THEY SERVED AND A COUNTERRESPONSIVENESS TO CITIZEN PREFERENCES. IN ADDITION, EMPIRICAL FINDINGS REVEALED THAT SIMPLE RELIANCE ON BUREAUCRATIC STRUCTURE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF LARGE-SCALE POLICE DEPARTMENTS PRODUCED PATHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES, MANIFESTING INEFFICIENCIES AND CORRUPTIONS. THEREFORE, A NEW DESIGN BASED ON A DIFFERENT CONCEPTION OF POLICE SERVICES AND UTILIZING DIFFERENT KINDS OF DECISION RULES IS NECESSARY TO REALIZE GREATER RESPONSIVENESS AS WELL AS EFFICIENCY AND REDISTRIBUTION. INHERENT DIFFICULTIES EXIST DUE TO THE NATURE OF POLICE SERVICES - THEIR PUBLIC GOODS, ASPECTS, THE TYPE OF WORK INVOLVED IN POLICING, THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF POLICE AND OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, THE INFLUENCE ON THE POLICE OF THE TYPE OF COMMUNITY BEING SERVED, AND THE PROBLEM OF ACHIEVING VALID INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE. WHAT IS NEEDED IS A DESIGN WHICH COMBINES BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONTROL MECHANISMS INCREASING THE CITIZENS' VOICE IN ARTICULATING THEIR PREFERENCES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF POLICE SERVICES AS WELL AS THE INFORMATION GENERATED ABOUT SYSTEM PERFORMANCE. THIS REFORMED SYSTEM WOULD PROBABLY INVOLVE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF LARGE AND SMALL SCALE POLICE DEPARTMENTS SERVING THE SAME AREA.