The traditional style of police organization and management uses a flow of information that runs up the chain of command from line officers to administrators. The major drawback of this model is that, while policy is, in reality, made at the line officer level, this reality has never been formally recognized, and there have been no mechanisms through which line officers can affect managerial decisions. Participatory management is designed to maximize decisionmaking effectiveness and to foster employee commitment to the organization. Respondents in this survey, drawn from 21 police agencies in southwestern Ohio, were asked about their general attitudes toward participatory management, the degree to which their agency followed the principles of participatory management, and their satisfaction with the current management of their agency. The findings indicate that nearly all respondents believe in the value of participatory management, employee interest in management problems, and the benefit of participatory management to their agencies. However, there was a gap between these beliefs and the respondents' perception regarding the implementation of a participatory management style in their agencies. Only those respondents having administrative duties or high ranks or those working in small departments were satisfied with the current management of their departments. 14 references