INNOVATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE - A REVIEW OF THE ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT NEIGHBORHOOD POLICE CONCEPT

• NCJ Number: 34718
• Author(s): W N BETJEMANN
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 78 pages
• Corporate Author: New York Office of Crime Control Planning
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STUDY REVIEWS THE SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONCEPT OF NEIGHBORHOOD POLICING BY THE ALBANY DEPARTMENT OF POLICE AND THE PROCESS OF CHANGE THAT LED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONCEPT.

Abstract

NEIGHBORHOOD POLICING AND THE PROCESS OF CHANGE ARE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO THE CURRENT SOCIOLOGICAL LITERATURE FOCUSING ON THE POLICE AND SOCIAL/ ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE. PERVASIVE ISSUES INCLUDING THE AMBIGUOUS ROLE OF THE POLICE, THE TRADITION-ORIENTED AND INFLEXIBLE NATURE OF THE POLICE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, AND THE PERNICIOUS STATE OF POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS ARE EXAMINED. A REVIEW OF THESE FACTORS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL CHANGE CLEARLY DISPLAYS THE NEED FOR CHANGE IN THE PROVIDING OF POLICE SERVICES WITHIN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. IN LIGHT OF THE RESISTANCE TO CHANGE DISPLAYED BY COMPONENTS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AN ANALYSIS OF THE LITERATURE PERTAINING TO PLANNED CHANGE HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN. STUDY RESULTS SHOW THAT THE POLICE AND THE CITIZENRY HOLD MORE FAVORABLE ATTITUDES TOWARD EACH OTHER AND ARE MORE WILLING TO WORK TOGETHER COOPERATIVELY. IN ADDITION, THE STUDY RESULTS SHOW THAT THE POLICE HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY INVOLVED IN AN ORDER MAINTENANCE/COMMUNITY SERVICE ROLE WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE NCJ-34723.