NCJ Number
12276
Date Published
1973
Length
72 pages
Annotation
ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONSE OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT TO THE DEMANDS AND NEEDS OF NON-WHITES DURING CONTROVERSIES OVER CREATING A CIVILIAN REVIEW BOARD AND EXTRA POLICE SHIFT.
Abstract
THE ISSUES WERE THE UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT BY MAYOR JOHN LINDSAY IN 1966 TO CREATE A CIVILIAN REVIEW BOARD AND HIS SUCCESSFUL EFFORT IN 1969 TO INSTITUTE AN EXTRA POLICE SHIFT BETWEEN 6 P.M. AND 2 A.M. BOTH PROPOSALS WERE OPPOSED BY A SPECIALIZED INTEREST GROUP, THE PATROLMEN'S BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION. THE NON-WHITE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED THE REVIEW BOARD AND WAS THE PRIMARY BENEFACTOR OF THE EXTRA POLICE SHIFT. THE STUDY ANALYZED THE POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN THESE ISSUES AND CONCLUDED THAT THE POLITICAL SYSTEM IN NEW YORK IS PLURALISTIC IN THE SENSE THAT POWER IS DISTRIBUTED AMONG GROUPS WHO ENJOY A GREAT DEAL OF DISCRETION OVER SPECIALIZED ISSUES. IT FUTHER CONCLUDED THAT, SINCE NON-WHITE GROUPS ARE TOO DIVERSE TO REPRESENT A DISCREET AND SPECIALIZED INTEREST, THEY ARE UNABLE TO ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF THE PLURALISTIC SYSTEM BY ATTEMPTING TO EXERCISE POLITICAL POWER AS THEY DID IN THE CASE OF THE REVIEW BOARD. THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE EXTRA POLICE SHIFT IN NON-WHITE AREAS, HOWEVER, WAS A RESULT NOT OF POLITICAL POWER BUT OF BUREAUCRATIC PROCEDURES, WHICH ARE SEEN TO BE A MORE RELIABLE AND FRUITFUL SOURCE OF POLITICAL REWARDS FOR THIS GROUP THAN THE POLITICAL SYSTEM PER SE.