NCJ Number
72768
Date Published
1979
Length
284 pages
Annotation
The influence of organization on performance is illustrated in a study of police services in residential neighborhoods in St. Louis, Missouri.
Abstract
Introductory chapters consider the interrelationship of organization and performance and examine the public service production process. Next, a chapter focuses on organization and performance in policing, and following chapters describe and discuss the empirical study. The structure of police service delivery arrangements is shown to be related to the choice of production strategies by individual police agencies. The choice of a patrol-oriented production strategy was found to be linked to police agency size. In the smallest police agencies, almost every officer received a patrol assignment. In the very largest, only slightly more than 50 percent were assigned to patrol duties. Citizens served by the smallest agencies reported seeing patrol units in their neighborhoods much more frequently than did citizens served by the largest. Medium-sized agencies provided patrol frequencies intermediate to those of the smallest and largest departments. Size proved to be a good indicator of internal specialization. Only the largest agencies were likely to have large complements of criminal investigation, juvenile, or traffic specialists, although such specialists were also available to small- and medium-sized agencies. Response time demonstrated a curvilinear relationship with production strategy and, thus, with agency size. The smallest agencies, which emphasized patrol, were hampered because they were unable to place more than a single unit on the street to respond to requests. The largest, which deemphasized patrol, were unable to deploy sufficient patrol units to provide as rapid a response as that provided by medium-sized agencies. Medium-sized agencies were rated most responsive by consumers. These and other findings suggest that medium-sized agencies of 11 to 100 officers may be the best choice for police service delivery in residential areas of 5,000 to 80,000 residents. Footnotes, figures, data tables, and a bibliography of approximately 290 references are included.