Organizations:
"groups of people working together to accomplish a desired goal.

Police agencies may be divided into:

Operations

Patrol
Traffic
Investigations
Special Units

Support

Records
Training
Personnel
Communications
Planning & Research

Depending on the size of the agency, the above divisions
may be further divided to handle specific specialized tasks.
Check the following police department organizational charts for examples:

Other commonly used terms to describe sections or divisions
within police agencies:

• Line & Staff
• Operations & Services
• Administration & Operations
• Line & Support

An Internal Affairs Unit or Special Investigations Unit
responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct
or criminal offenses committed by police department
employees generally exists in large agencies and the
head of that unit typically reports directly to the Chief
of Police.

Theoretically each unit/group works together to reach
common goal of organization

The organizational structure must, at times, undergo modifications
to allow the organization to meet its needs and fulfill its mission.

Specialization-is a basic feature of organizations reflecting
the principles of traditional organizational theory.
As such, specialization:

• increases organizational complexity
• requires increased coordination
• may make tasks less challenging
• loss of overall picture of organizational goals

• Placement of responsibility-for specific performance
• Development of expertise
• Group esprit de corps
• Increased effectiveness and efficiency

Close supervision

Strong internal discipline
 

Virtually all large organizations today are Bureaucracies

Any differences in the nature of the Bureaucracy, such as
listed below, are due to size:

• complexity
• level of specialization
• hierarchical structure
• authoritarian style of command

• Inability to match talent and position
• Restrictions on personal freedom of expression, association and dress
• Communication blockage
• Lack of flexibility
• Limits ability to be challenged

The best way to describe the dissillusionment with the typical Buraucracy
is found in one of the pages of CONDORITO magazine. In the magazine
Coné asks Yuyito "how can you tell when you are dealing with a
bureaucracy?
Yuyito: "When every solution is turned into a problem"

Strict adherence to rules stressed by management can
manifest itself in the following outcome:

NOT MY JOB!!!!!

Some police agencies have recognized the problems
caused by the rigidity of the Bureaucratic Model.
The typical Rank Structure impedes ability to offer adequate
incentives for street officers, and officers with high education
and specialized knowledge can be overruled in their decisions
by supervisors with little education and less expertise simply
based on rank.

Attempts at changing the rank limitations include:

• More pay steps for patrol officers
• New rank designations-Master Patrol Officer
• Incentive plans-skill recognition
• Knowledge overrules rank
• Career development-rotation, educational leaves, etc.
• Job enlargement

Policies, Procedures and Rules

Policies: general guidelines to organizational philosophy and
mission-should be written and changed as circumstances
dictate

Procedures-more specific, serve as guides to action but less restrictive
than a rule. Method of operation with some flexibility

Rules and Regulations: specific managerial guidelines-little or no
latitude for discretion
· Need for flexibility: discretionary nature of duties
Common complaint: Abuse of discretion

· Total standardization not possible-ambiguous role

· Role too serious for everything to be left up to the discretion of individual

Nature and Source of procedures:
· Some dictated by US Supreme Court: Garner v. Tennessee

· Some administrators use: flurry of memos as procedure manual

PROBLEM:
· Too many standardized procedures stifle imagination and initiative
· It is impossible to cover all possible exigencies
· Areas not covered, exploited by officers
 

Influence of Research on Police:

BEST KNOWN study-Kansas City MO patrol study.
In this study, the police varied the Patrol techniques in three
different matched beats as follows:

No preventive patrol
2-3X amount of preventive patrol
Normal/usual level of patrol

The findings of the study countered commonly held beliefs
about the impact of different styles of patrol. A comparison
of crime statistics and citizen satisfaction in areas experiencing
different levels of patrol showed that:

FINDINGS:

• No significant differences in crime rates or citizen perceptions

of safety. Similar results obtained in St.Louis and Minneapolis.
• Police can stop patrolling beats for up to one year without
  being missed and without increase in crime.

Random thoughts on the KC patrol study from LAW ENFORCEMENT NEWS

FINDINGS:

• Response time unrelated to probability of arrest or locating

witnesses, nor citizen satisfaction
• The time it takes the victim to report the crime is a major

dermining factor of whether an arrest can be made on the
scene.

FINDINGS:

• Detectives played minor role in solving cases-depended

more on info from patrol officer
• patrol officers are responsible for most arrests, directly

or indirectly
• Use of Predictors of Case closure-to better manage burglary caseload
  NOTE: Study overlooked that uniformed patrol typically handles a case FIRST
  and Detectives have to complete or follow up cases that were either not cleared
  or solved by patrol or that needed more work. This does not diminish or make the
  value of detective work meaningless.

• Police deal with much more than criminal activity
• Too much emphasis placed on criminal law to get the police

job done
• Police use formal and informal methods to do job. Invoking the

law is only one response among many
• Police are not automonmous. The nature of their job requires

accountability
• Indidivual Officers utilize wide variety of discretion in deciding
  what to do .

DO POLICE MATTER by the Manhattan Institute
An Analysis of the Impact of New York City's Police Reforms.

Click here for Community Oriented Policing Information not provided
in the Textbook.

Also review information at: Community Policing

Below is your professor looking for a sinus/headache pill:

The traditional remedy is not working!

Important Concepts, Key Terms, and Information

Different organizational structures of police agencies

Typical terms used: Line and Staff, Operations and Support, etc.

Typical location of Internal Affairs in organizational hierarchy
(Who does the IA commander usually report to?)

Examples of specialization within police agencies

Advantages and Disadvantages of Specialization?

Problems or disillusionment with the Beaucracy

Nearly all large organizations are Bureaucracies

Problem with excessive rules in police work

Responses to rank or promotional limitations

Findings of the Kansas City Patrol Study

Findings of the Response Time Study

Findings of the Detective Study

Instructor's perspective on higher solve rate by patrol officers

Email comments to the instructor