Police Rotation in the City: Operation, Constraints, and Potential, Part 1 and 2

• NCJ Number: 150196
• Author(s): C Gorgeon; A Jobert; P Pariente; J-P Robert; L Thue
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 102 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Secutite Interieure
• Sale Source: Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Secutite Interieure
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: French
• Country: France
• Note: Etudes et Recherches (Studies and Research)

Annotation

This study analyzed and criticized the organization and routine of four French urban police districts.

Abstract

First, the researchers studied internal documents and interviewed police leaders; in the second project phase, they interviewed and observed officers in their daily duties. The organizational analysis revealed a growing trend toward specialization and (despite uniform organization principles) a certain amount of confusion. This confusion led to a lack of coordination among the three different police strategies used: crime prevention, response to crime, and proximity policing. During the observation of general police activities, three problems emerged: the absence of communication among police officers, the officers' lack of motivation, and insufficient police leadership which left the routine at the discretion of individual officers and random events. In examining police routine, the researchers found that general policing tasks were neglected in favor of specialized tasks and contradictory deployment strategies. The study emphasized the need for a unifying policy and for specific objectives, which would lend a focus to police service and organization. A detailed description of the four observations sites and of the internal documents studied, and a 16-item bibliography are appended.