Police Leadership In A Democracy

Every day the media floods the airwaves with their often-contradictory version of the role and behavior of the police force. Based on this, you might think that police officers either brutally enforce their own interpretation of the nation‘s laws or use all the modern tools available to carefully and persistently uncover the special clues that lead

Every day the media floods the airwaves with their often-contradictory version of the role and behavior of the police force. Based on this, you might think that police officers either brutally enforce their own interpretation of the nation’s laws or use all the modern tools available to carefully and persistently uncover the special clues that lead to the identification and arrest of suspected criminals. Based on interviews with 26 police chiefs, Police Leadership in a Democracy: Conversations with America’s Police Chiefs takes a poignant journey through the minds of the men and women who have risen to the top of a profession essential to the country’s safety and security. The book’s interview format gives a voice to police chiefs from cities and regions as diverse as Newark, New Jersey; Lenexa, Kansas; and Richmond, California. They discuss their visions for their departments and the challenges they faced bringing that vision to fruition, including mistakes made along the way. The chiefs speak candidly about their relationships with mayors, unions, community leaders, and their own officers. Highlighting the importance of these inherently challenging relationships, chiefs assess their strengths and, in some cases, their failures. They explain their approaches to working with the community to reduce crime and the difficulties involved in gaining support for these community policing efforts. Though their jurisdictions were different, the chiefs universally recognized the fundamental need to develop and support their police officers while building strong relationships between the community and the political structure of the city. Opening a window to the day-to-day realities of police leadership, this book offers a realistic view of the challenges of motivating street cops to enforce the law in a way that helps citizens build trust in it and in them.

Explains the persistence of violent, unaccountable policing in democratic contexts.

"A wonderful resource, user friendly and very well written." - Timothy J. Horohol, John Jay College A unique approach to studying police forces around the globe How do police forces around the world move toward democratization of their operations and responses? Analyzing police forces from 12 different countries, Comparative Policing: The Struggle for Democratization assesses the stages of each country based on the author's development of a "Continuum of Democracy" scale. Key Features Using five basic themes, this book uses the following criteria to rank and evaluate where each country falls on the continuum, clarifying how policing practices differ: · History of a democratic form of government · Level of corruption within governmental organizations and the oversight mechanisms in place · Scope of and response to civil disobedience · Organization structures of police departments · Operational responses to terrorism and organized crime Intended Audience: This unique analysis of policing is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate courses in Comparative Criminal Justice, Police Studies, Policing and Society, and Terrorism in departments of criminal justice, criminology, sociology, and government.

"Every modern democracy in our increasingly complex world must confront a fundamental problem: how should politicians manage police, ensuring that they act in the public interest while avoiding the temptation to utilize them in a partisan manner? Drawing on first-hand experiences from six democracies, the authors describe how frequently disagreements arise between politicians and police commanders, what issues are involved, and how they are resolved.Governing the Police is organized into three parts: the intellectual and governmental context of democratic governance; the experience of chief officers in that relationship; and the reflections on lessons learned. Instead of describing practices within each individual country, it compares them across countries, developing generalizations about practices, explanations for differences, and assessments of success in managing the police/political relationship.Focusing mainly on the daily, informal interactions between politicians and police as they balance their respective duties, this book compares the experiences and opinions of chief police officers in Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand, and the United States. By examining the experiences of important officials, the authors explain how the balance between accountability and independence can be managed and what challenges leaders face. The authors conclude by posing well-informed recommendations for improving police governance."--Provided by publisher.

Every modern democracy in our increasingly complex world must confront a fundamental problem: how should politicians manage police, ensuring that they act in the public interest while avoiding the temptation to utilize them in a partisan manner? Drawing on first-hand experiences from six democracies, the authors describe how frequently disagreements arise between politicians and police commanders, what issues are involved, and how they are resolved. Governing the Police is organized into three parts: the intellectual and governmental context of democratic governance; the experience of chief officers in that relationship; and the reflections on lessons learned. Instead of describing practices within each individual country, it compares them across countries, developing generalizations about practices, explanations for differences, and assessments of success in managing the police/political relationship. Focusing mainly on the daily, informal interactions between politicians and police as they balance their respective duties, this book compares the experiences and opinions of chief police officers in Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand, and the United States. By examining the experiences of important officials, the authors explain how the balance between accountability and independence can be managed and what challenges leaders face. The authors conclude by posing well-informed recommendations for improving police governance.

This volume presents the new contexts and challenges for contemporary police leaders and managers in the changing landscapes of policing. The governance of contemporary police organisations requires leaders and managers, even at the local level, to work in and understand complex social, political and organisational environments. The wide range of topics in this collection explores what is changing, what is known about the impact of these changes and what leaders and managers now need to be able to do or anticipate as a consequence. Operational policing is no longer the militaristic singular activity it once was, but embraces new models of 'partnership' and 'community' to manage crime and disorder. Equally, while command and control models are still an essential of many aspects of policing, managing police officers and staff increasingly depends on their professional development and encouraging enthusiasm and innovation. Policing takes place under conditions of intense scrutiny from the media and from the community; and crime and disorder is the subject of much political debate. Each of these broad areas are addressed and present a surprising range of perspectives. The volume is aimed at every level of management and leadership in policing, researchers of policing and students of police management and leadership.