NCJ Number
128465
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (1990) Pages: 183-188
Date Published
1990
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper challenges Bennett's and Mastrofski's contention that because police agencies have resisted change in the past, they will continue to do so in the future.
Abstract
Bennett's and Mastrofski's papers deal with the issue of change, the impact of resistance to change, and the implications of both for the future of policing. Both conclude that in spite of the need for change in policing to address socioeconomic changes in communities, police agencies will resist any major changes in policies and procedures. Bennett and Mastrofski have made the same mistake the majority of police administrators have been making. They assume that past historic patterns will be repeated in the future. Although police administrators have not been perceived as innovators, this does not mean that management training in the dynamics of change and change management could not yield new management behaviors. Police administrators should be knowledgeable in the dynamics of change including factors causing resistance to change. There are many examples of police managers who have been at the forefront of innovative change in their communities, and there is no reason why the number of such managers cannot increase as a result of new forms of management training that encourage continuous analysis of community change and anticipatory leadership by police administrators. 8 references