SAGE Journal Articles

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LO 7-5

Willits, D. (2014, June). The Organisational Structure of Police Departments and Assaults on Police Officers. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 16(2), 140-154.

Abstract: Previous research links police organisational factors to various police outcomes. However, although research has examined the relationship between specific organisational practices and violence against police, less research has examined the relationship between organisational structure and violence against police officers. Moreover, the research that examines this relationship has typically utilised unreliable data. This study examines the relationship between police organisational structure and assaults on police officers in the USA using data from the 1999–2001 National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIRBS), 2000 Census and 2000 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Survey (LEMAS) data sets. Negative binomial regression models suggest that organisational context and organisational complexity are important predictors of violence against police officers. Specifically, controlling for other factors, police departments serving more disadvantaged communities report higher rates of assaults against police officers, whereas those that are more functionally and spatially differentiated report lower levels of assault.

Question to consider

What is organizational control and what implications does it have on police officer discretion?