NCJ Number
208477
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2005 Pages: 97-109
Editor(s)
Kent B. Joscelyn
Date Published
January 2005
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article explores the ways in which hierarchy manifests itself in American police agencies, how these manifestations affect the distribution of resources and attributes within each agency and recommendations for a multidimensional construct of police organizational hierarchy.
Abstract
In order to add to the understanding of the hierarchical nature of police organizations, this article explores the ways in which hierarchy manifests itself in American police agencies and how these manifestations affect resource allocation within the agency. Through a marrying of the literature on social stratification and organizational hierarchy, the article proposes a reconceptualization of police organizational hierarchy as a multidimensional construct. It argues that police employees stratify into five different hierarchies based on skills, rewards, seniority, status, and authority. Understanding the different hierarchies has consequences for both police researchers and police managers. These five hierarchies are described in the article, as well as the how they can be measured. However, the idea of a multi-hierarchical nature in police agencies needs to be assessed to determine if there actually are five hierarchies and to see what influence they have and how they interrelate. References