The handling of commonly-experienced internal problems within the police force has, in most times, been complicated the hierarchical, classic management lines in which police departments are organized. The major challenge in implementing top-down police reforms has been resistance arising from rank-and-file officers. One way to overcome this barrier is by the utilization of police officers as change agents. This chapter reviews the successful reforms at the metropolitan police department.
The pragmatic virtues of organizational democracy
Participatory involvement is the lifeblood of organizational democracy and not ratified idealism as it has been generally held. Participatory involvement has been proven to accomplish results within organizations. However, in the US, pragmatic considerations remain highly valued. A study involving prison administrators in Scotland found that people are more effective at work when they are involved in decision making on matters that affect their work. In addition, organizations become more effective when they deploy the intelligence, wisdom, and judgment of all their members. Given that some features of the average police organization have become dysfunction, then, the need for participatory involvement as an organizational reform vehicle is enhanced
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What does it mean to be a “paramilitary” organization?
Across the world, the function of the police is defined by the uniform. Police uniforms advertise police authority as well distinguishing offers from civilians. Regardless the jurisdiction, blue as a police uniform color is symbolic of “law” under which the officers act. Paramilitary police are closely related to the military and share key attributes with the military. The shared features include formal rank, formal hierarchy, and a chain of unquestioned and unquestioning command.
Playing cops-and-robbers with cops
Given that mistrust-inspired actions often breed resentment, which in turn fuels obduracy and resistance, the question on whether police officers can always be trusted to be law-abiding remains largely unanswered. Resistance reinforces suspicion, and the result is intrusive monitoring, which in turn breeds resentment. It is easy for this cycle to spin out of control. The use of technology to monitor officers in their line of work resulted in the circumvention of the intrusions into their familiar routines. Supervisors and their subordinates were entrapped in ‘cat-and-mouse’ games (Walker 1977: 13).
The infamous cup of coffee
Over time, officers have deviated from ‘integrity.’ The deviations have taken many forms ranging from discounted lunches to participation in robberies. Accepting a cup of coffee may appear to many as a minor issue. It is, however, the first step down a slippery slope leading to serious crimes. The handling of these issues should be done in such a manner that the entire campaign is not compromised because officers are likely to be put off by proscriptions and promiscuous interventions.
Does decentralization increase the prevalence of misconduct?
According to the findings of the study (Weisburd et al. 2000), “close relationship with the community, such as that resulting from community-oriented policing did not increase the risk of police corruption” (p. 7). There were also fewer incidences of excessive force and other serious incidents reported as a result of community policing. This then demystifies the wild held narrative by critics of police reforms that the decentralization of the police organization is a breeding ground for unlawful conduct and unlicensed behavior.
Decentralized and centralized data-driven policing
Disaggregated statistics and familiarity with local conditions are assets in the interpretation of data and consequent planning of appropriate action. According to Seattle Chief Gil Kerlilowske; officers had a greater contribution to the solution of a problem when given far greater control and additional limited resources.
The Oakland legacy
The Oakland program may have had little impact on police-citizen contact, but from it, a series of significant organizational changes touching on diverse police activities have been born. It was the first step towards departmental procedures on family and landlord-tenant disputes. It is important to note that the program was wholly officer-based and officer-run.
Interpolating street wisdom
Feedback from persons involved with the targets can be the ultimate source of information. Patrol officers are often the ones on the ground, thus making them considerable repositories of first-hand information. The nature of the street wisdom is different from data recorded in war room maps. One characteristic of street wisdom is that it is stubbornly particularistic. Its limitations can be readily compensated.
Implementing participatory reform
Identifying the problems and initiating proposals for change can be done through various means among them: task forces, parallel organizations, and units as vehicles for empowerment. Rank-file input can be facilitated by being hospitable to proposals for change from frontline personnel and showing the willingness to implement their proposals.
A problem-oriented approach to officer misconduct
Controlling, preventing, and discouraging incidents of police misconduct remains the greatest challenge for police leaders given that much vociferous grousing by officers relaters to how police organizations try to control, prevent, and discourage these incidents.
