In the mid-1980s, growth in law enforcement agencies began to stagnate. As with corporate America, the bulge in middle-management law enforcement positions was recognized as a drain on increasingly scarce financial revenues. Many law enforcement administrators were forced to reduce the size of their departments. These reductions have produced serious repercussions for the current generation of officers, not the least of which is the emotional impact on officers who historically have equated promotions with their value to the agency and to their own sense of professional competence. Current economic conditions have reduced the number of opportunities for promotion, no matter how qualified the individual. Failure for young officers to advance begins a pattern of repeated attempts at promotion or applications for specialty assignments, followed by disappointment, a pattern which can result in poor morale, lack of creativity, and lack of commitment to management goals. Possible solutions to this problem include administrators leveling with their officers concerning promotion opportunities, expanding existing psychological services, and the creation of programs that allow officers at all levels to participate in the decisionmaking, growth, development, and operation of their agencies. Community- based policing, problem-oriented policing, self-managing work teams, progressive salary schedules, officer-selected assignments, take-home patrol cars, and career counseling are presented as examples of programs that can positively influence officers' self-worth. 2 endnotes