U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

What Works in Policing: Operations and Administration Examined

NCJ Number
132805
Editor(s)
G W Cordner, D C Hale
Date Published
1992
Length
210 pages
Annotation
These 10 papers present recent research results and a variety of viewpoints regarding the effectiveness of several major elements of policing including police patrol, local drug law enforcement, criminal investigation, the police role in domestic violence, crime prevention, police training, female police, agency organizational structure, police management, and leadership.
Abstract
The papers focus on current approaches, efficient and effective practices, existing knowledge, and gaps in knowledge. An introduction notes that the multiple and often vague or conflicting objectives for law enforcement hamper research regarding police effectiveness. Individual papers consider various forms of patrol, problem-oriented policing, and community policing; burglary and robbery investigations; and past and current tactics in drug law enforcement. Other papers focus on developments in police procedures for handling cases of domestic violence; the effectiveness of citizen crime prevention measures; organizational theory and research; and legal considerations, research, and issues related to police selection and testing. Additional chapters discuss methods by which police departments can best accomplish complete gender integration, current developments in police education, and effective police leadership and management. Tables, figures, chapter reference lists, subject and author indexes, and author biographies