Effects of Police Agency Size on the Use of Police Employees - A Re-Examination of Ostrom, Parks, and Whitaker

• NCJ Number: 87409
• Journal: Police Studies Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1983) Pages: 11-19
• Author(s): R H Langworthy; M J Hindelang
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): 81-BJ-CX-K013(S1)
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Focusing on the small end of the police agency size continuum, Ostrom, Parks and Whitaker concluded that police agency size is positively related to administrative overhead and functional specialization and negatively related to patrol density.

Abstract

This paper examines these conclusions, shifting the focus to larger agencies. The study uses data presented by Ostrom, Parks and Whitaker and data from the 1977 Kansas City, Missouri Police Department administrative survey of large police agencies. The study concludes that while the relationships isolated at the small end of size continuum they do not appear to hold among large agencies. (Author abstract)