The study used an extensive literature scan on office automation (OA), personal interviews with experts and visionaries in the field, and input from a five-person assessment group. Five trends were identified as having potential for substantial future impact on the law enforcement environment. These trends are ergonomics (the human elements associated with OA), new technologies impacting OA, the office environment (the office setting, integrated work stations, acoustics, etc.), organizational structural change resulting from OA, and security and legal concerns. With these trends identified and forecasted through the year 1998 then cross-impacted with five selected potential events, scenarios were developed for the normative future. The study advises that preparation for this new law enforcement future requires consideration of nontraditional solutions to existing office requirements and the addressing of issues of information control, integration of technologies, and the reorganization of management structures, perhaps to achieve the deletion of middle management positions to be replaced by new information processing specialists. Strategic and transition plans are provided to help police managers guide their agencies toward the future law enforcement office. 6 endnotes, 42-item bibliography. (Author abstract modified)