Police in America Chapter Fourteen Police Organizations

Quasi-military style n Organized along military lines UniformsUniforms Rand designationsRand designations Command structure is hierarchicalCommand structure is hierarchical Organizational style is authoritarianOrganizational style is authoritarian Officers carry weapons and can use deadly force, physical force, and deprive people of their liberty through arrestOfficers carry weapons and can use deadly force, physical force, and deprive people of their liberty through arrest

Quasi-military style n Different from military Serve a citizen populationServe a citizen population Provide services designed to help peopleProvide services designed to help people Constrained by laws protecting the rights of citizensConstrained by laws protecting the rights of citizens Exercise individual discretionExercise individual discretion

Bureaucracy n Complex organization n Tasks assigned to bureaus n Organizational structure hierarchical n Responsibility for specific tasks is delegated to lower ranking employees n Clear chain of command n Clear unity of command n Written rules and regulations n Information flows up and down n Clear career paths

Changing police organizations n Community policing Decentralize decision making territorially and administrativelyDecentralize decision making territorially and administratively n Total Quality Management Organization that is democratic and emphasizes participative managementOrganization that is democratic and emphasizes participative management n Task Forces Officers from different ranks based on talentsOfficers from different ranks based on talents n Creating learning organizations Think about needs, plan and implement change, and learn from achievements and failuresThink about needs, plan and implement change, and learn from achievements and failures

Unions n Majority of police officers represented by unions n Collective bargaining n Grievance procedures n Impasse settlement and strike