The investigation included unstructured interviews with managerial and line personnel, examination of force documents, and observations of formal and informal meetings. Results suggest that new meanings of policing, emphasizing partnership with the community, were developing in all three forces. Management was significantly concerned with communicating this meaning through more proactive methods and/or community involvement. The transmission of this management message encountered difficulties, mostly related to traditional police methods. Impediments to front-line commitment to the management message also included management reliance on written statements, inconsistent messages from subsystems in the organization, and a lack of perceived management commitment to change. Rank and file response to messages generated by the paramilitary structure was primarily negative. This structure also insulated management from front-line realities, reinforced a management preference for one-way communication, and created barriers to upward communication. The reward/recognition system was not effective in supporting major proactive objectives, and lack of front-line participation in decisionmaking also was seen as an impediment to commitment to proactive policing. Overall, results suggest that traditional administrative structure, attitudes, and values were major impediments to communication and change. 18 references.