Assessing the Influence of Organization on Performance: A Study of Police Services in Residential Neighborhoods

摘要

Data from two recent studies of police service delivery were used to examine linkages of structure, conduct, and performance. The first study explored data on service delivery structures, organizational arrangements, production strategies, and police activities in 80 metropolitan areas across the United States. The second study supplied data on organizational arrangements and production strategies among a sample of police departments in a single metropolitan area. Data was also supplied on the activities of officers from departments in a set of matched residential neighborhoods. Analyses using these data focused on several key areas. Service delivery structures and organizational arrangements were related to production strategies and to the availability of patrol and specialized officers in police jurisdictions. Patrol officer availability was related to patrol presence, police response capabilities, and citizens' perceptions of police capabilities to respond when called. Both response time distributions and the distributions of police responses to victimizations other than immediate response were shown to be related to the production strategies of police departments.