NCJ Number
231104
Journal
International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2010 Pages: 238-255
Date Published
2010
Length
18 pages
Annotation
While almost all local government administrators frequently interact with municipal police chiefs and county sheriffs, there is a dearth of scholarly literature concerning the decisionmaking behaviors of these law enforcement executives. This study, as part of a larger project, explores decision-making as it pertains to the annual budgeting process, an important basis for county or city-wide interaction.
Abstract
The central question of this study is: what is the effect of selection method on a local law enforcement manager's willingness to cooperate with a legislative body during a budget crisis? This exploratory research suggests that the disparate methods by which sheriffs and police chiefs obtain office (election versus appointment) play a role in each executive's decision-making behaviours, albeit in a counterintuitive way: sheriffs are more apt to demonstrate local government leadership through cooperation with the county legislature while police chiefs are more likely to focus their efforts on intradepartmental management. Tables, notes, and references (Published Abstract)