NCJ Number
132743
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1991) Pages: 169-185
Date Published
1991
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This research examines the influence of agency size and urbanism on four dimensions of organizational structure prominent in normative theories of police organizational change.
Abstract
These dimensions are concentration or the ratio of lower-ranking individuals to the total size of the organization; height or the number of layers in the organization; civilianization or the proportion of civilians to sworn personnel; and supervisory ratio or the ratio of sergeants to line officers. The data were gathered from police departments in Illinois. Results show that for three dimensions examined -- supervisory ratio, organizational height, and concentration -- variations in size were associated with significant changes in structural variables. It was concluded that the effects of the predictors are not large enough to constrain police managers who are concerned with organization restructuring. Because most organization studies of the police have examined large departments when most departments are small or medium-sized, these findings suggest that most current research on determinants of police organization structure does not generalize to most police organizations. 4 tables, 7 footnotes, and 43 references (Author abstract modified)