Two Cultures Of Policing

The emergence and functioning of two competing and sometimes conflicting cultures within police departments demonstrates how competition between street cops and "bosses" is at the heart of the organizational dilemma of modern urban policing. Unlike other works in this field that focus on the monolithic culture or familial quality of policing, this study demonstrates that which might look cohesive from the point of view of outsiders has its own internal dynamics and conflicts. The book shows that police departments are not immune to the conflict inherent in any large-scale bureaucracy, when externally imposed management schemes for increasing efficiency and effectiveness are imposed on an existing social organization. Based upon two years of extensive field work, in which the author covered every major aspect of policing at the precinct level in the New York City police department from manning the complaint desk to riding in squad cars. Ianni shows how the organized structure of the police department is disintegrating. The new "Management Cop Culture" is bureaucratically juxtaposed to the precinct level "Street Cop Culture," and bosses' loyalties to the social and political networks of management cops rather than to the men on the street causes a sharp division with grave consequences for the departments. The study concentrates on a series of dramatic events, such as the suicide of a police officer charged with corruption, a major riot, and the trial of an officer accused of killing a prisoner while in police custody. Ianni traces how these events affected relationships among fellow officers and between officers and "bosses."

The emergence and functioning of two competing and sometimes conflicting cultures within police departments demonstrates how competition between street cops and “bosses” is at the heart of the organizational dilemma of modern urban policing. Unlike other works in this field that focus on the monolithic culture or familial quality of policing, this study demonstrates that which might look cohesive from the point of view of outsiders has its own internal dynamics and conflicts. The book shows that police departments are not immune to the conflict inherent in any large-scale bureaucracy, when externally imposed management schemes for increasing efficiency and effectiveness are imposed on an existing social organization. Based upon two years of extensive field work, in which the author covered every major aspect of policing at the precinct level in the New York City police department from manning the complaint desk to riding in squad cars. Ianni shows how the organized structure of the police department is disintegrating. The new “Management Cop Culture” is bureaucratically juxtaposed to the precinct level “Street Cop Culture,” and bosses’ loyalties to the social and political networks of management cops rather than to the men on the street causes a sharp division with grave consequences for the departments. The study concentrates on a series of dramatic events, such as the suicide of a police officer charged with corruption, a major riot, and the trial of an officer accused of killing a prisoner while in police custody. Ianni traces how these events affected relationships among fellow officers and between officers and “bosses.”

Law Enforcement, Policing, & Security

The eighth edition of this comprehensive collection includes carefully chosen articles with fresh perspectives on the most current trends in policing. Critical Issues in Policing provides ready access to the brightest minds in the field of policing. The 36 contributions sharpen understanding of the intricacies of police work and encourage readers to change from holding the police responsible for crime rates to holding them accountable for specific goals, tasks, and objectives. The new edition continues its authoritative, insightful coverage of complex elements of policing and presents vivid and pragmatic illustrations of law enforcement issues. The anthology offers an alternative to traditional policing texts. It covers philosophies of policing that guide discussions about police culture, police misconduct, use of force, operational concerns, and technological innovations.

Through ethnographic research in South Africa, this book explores the lived experiences of police navigating danger and death.

This is the first course guide that has been developed for students of policing. It identifies the core themes and additional source material, providing an essential overview for students and a reference point for use throughout their studies. The Policing Course Companion is designed to complement and work alongside existing literature. It provides: " Easy access to the key themes in policing " Helpful summaries of the approach taken by the main course textbooks " Guidance on the essential study skills required to pass the course " Help with developing critical thinking " Taking it Further sections that suggest how readers can extent their thinking beyond the "received wisdom" " Pointers to success in course exams and written assessment exercises The SAGE Course Companion in Policing is much more than a revision guide for undergraduates; it is an essential tool that will help readers take their course understanding to new levels and help them achieve success in their undergraduate course. John Grieve is a former Director of Intelligence for the Metropolitan Police, where he also held a number of other senior roles. He is now Chair of the John Grieve Centre for Policing and Community Safety and Emeritus Professor at London Metropolitan University. Clive Harfield is a former police Inspector and is now the Deputy Director of the John Grieve Centre for Policing and Community Safety, London Metropolitan University. Allyson MacVean is Founder and Director of the John Grieve Centre for Policing and Community Safety, London Metropolitan University.

This book brings together knowledge, debates and themes of police culture in one highly accessible resource to provide an overview of the key literature of the area.

Drawing on six years of ethnographic research, this book critically examines police culture, exploring police behaviours, decisionmaking and actions. Police culture is a concept widely used, often critically, to characterise the working attitudes and behaviours of (usually uniformed) police officers. It is shorthand for a workplace imbued with machismo, racism, sexism, a thirst for danger and excitement, cynicism and conservatism. Rather than looking for culture or identifying how culture affects behaviours, this book identifies factors that influence the decisions and actions, including technology, targets, training, timing, intelligence, geography and supervision, thus reassembling police culture much as Bruno Latour sought to reassemble the social. The analysis develops a clearer and critical understanding of culture by explicitly connecting the debates about police culture to those about organisational culture. Offering a detailed ethnography of two shifts, it grounds the analysis of the idea of police culture in a 'thick description' of the day- to- day activities observed in the police station and the patrol car, rather than using brief illustrative extracts. The book dispenses with any assumption of the utility of the concept of police culture, not least because it is opaque, and reassembles our understanding of policing and, if it retains any relevance, of police culture. An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of policing, criminology, sociology, law, politics and all those interested in the day- to- day lives of police officers.