Power and the Police Chief An Institutional and Organizational Analysis

by Raymond G. Hunt; John M. Magenau

• ISBN13: 9780803946552
• ISBN10: 0803946554
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-03-24
• Publisher: Sage Publications

Summary

What does a police chief do, exactly? Little has been written and little is known about today's police chief. An institutional treatment of American police that focuses on the person and function of the police chief, Power and the Police Chief thoroughly describes the role of the police chief in the contemporary urban setting. The authors utilize institutional theory as a framework for analyzing the police-in-society. From this perspective, they review long-term tendencies toward the rationalist modernization of American police agencies and the ongoing "professionalization," unionization, and bureaucratization of police work today, a process that is resulting in entirely new law-enforcement models. They highlight the internal and external conflicts and power struggles that converted police organizations into tension-filled arenas. At stake in these conflicts, the authors argue, is the fundamental definition of police work. New policing paradigms have emerged that would move it away from rule-based, law-enforcement models toward service alternatives that emphasize the situational imperatives and discretionary essence of police work. Professors, students, and professionals in criminology, sociology, and organizational studies will find Power and the Police Chief a valuable asset.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IN POLICING

Introduction

The Institutional Perspective

The Meaning of Modernity

Modernization of the American Police

Politics and the Police Chief

The Police Chief as Manager

The Institutional Context of Police Organization

The Institutional Position of the Police Administrator

Chiefs and the Rank and File

Shaping Police Roles

The American Culture of Policing

Content and Conflict

Summary and Conclusion

PART TWO: INTO THE POLITICAL ARENA: ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

Introduction

The Nature of Power in Organizations

The Political Arena

Conflict, Management Styles, and the Dynamics of Power

Power and Leadership

The Police Chief as Change Agent

The Police Chief and the Culture of Policing

Changing the Culture of Policing

Leadership in the New Paradigm of Problem-Oriented Policing

Modern Police Roles