NCJ Number
108232
Journal
National Centurion Volume: 2 Issue: 5 Dated: (June 1984) Pages: 38-45
Date Published
1984
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Interviews with leaders in the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Union of Police Associations, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the International Brotherhood of Police Officers examine police labor issues.
Abstract
The central focus is whether or not the splintered and factionalized police labor movement will ever unify and form one national law enforcement union. The leaders of major national and regional police labor organizations express frustration over their inability to enter into unity talks, although they believe that impediments to unity can be resolved over time. Some impediments identified by the leaders are a general reluctance among police officers to develop a power base beyond the local level, the reluctance of union leaders to risk the status of their current leadership positions, disagreement on the type of organization that best serves police interests, the lack of a national focal issue, and the reluctance of police officers to identify themselves as part of a nationwide labor movement. Another impediment evidenced in the interviews is the belief of each leader that his organization should be the core group around which a unified national organization should be formed.