NCJ Number
172552
Date Published
1996
Length
20 pages
Annotation
A futures study examined the probable impact of the increasing numbers of civilian managers on mid-sized police agencies.
Abstract
The research focused on the roles that civilian commanders will perform in the future, the impact of civilian commanders on the traditional law enforcement organizational structure, and the impact of civilian commanders on career development programs. Results indicated that police executives are recognizing that many management roles do not require the police powers, training, or skills of sworn personnel. In fact, sworn commanders must receive added training to perform in functional areas such as financial management and personnel management. Thus, civilian commanders could manage any of the agency's operational divisions, including field operations. In addition, the police chief's position could be filled by a civilian. The introduction of civilian commanders will require the organization to rethink the traditional hierarchy of authority models and must accompany the redesigned structure with an educational process. Command-level civilian positions will offer additional career paths for civilians in law enforcement, while reducing career opportunities and roles of sworn commanders. Police executives considering the introduction of civilian commanders must be aware that sworn personnel will perceive this situation as a threat to their career and must evaluate the organization's ability to overcome the obstacles. Sworn personnel and commanders are potential sources of resistance to the implementation of the civilian commander concept. Strategies to address this resistance include education and the inclusion of the sworn personnel in the design stages of the civilian commander's position. Overall, agencies will be able to manage their limited resources more effectively, and sworn commanders will be able to focus on the specific operational issues they are trained to handle. 12 references