NORTH AMERICAN RESEARCH IN THIS PERIOD HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO POLICE ORGANIZATION (E.G., SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT, COMMAND DECISIONMAKING), TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF POLICE (INTERACTIONISM WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION, DISCRETIONARY POWERS IN RELATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC, CONFRONTATION AND POLICE STRATEGIES, ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE, COMMUNITY CONTROL), AND TO THE HISTORY OF THE POLICE IN SOCIETY, ESPECIALLY THE POLICE ROLE IN PROMOTING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INTERESTS. POLICE ORGANIZATION MANUALS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY COMPARATIVE OR EXPERIMENTAL PUBLICATIONS ON POLICE EFFICIENCY AND PATROL SYSTEMS (E.G., TEAM POLICING, POLICE VIOLENCE, WOMEN OFFICERS, TECHNOLOGY). A NUMBER OF SCIENTIFIC AND FICTIONAL PUBLICATIONS HAVE DESCRIBED THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF POLICE ACTIONS ON CIVIL RIGHTS. IN WESTERN EUROPE, RESEARCH PRIOR TO 1960 TENDED TO DWELL ON POLICE ORGANIZATION OR REORGANIZATION AND THE HISTORY OF THE POLICE, AND HAS EXTENDED INTO THE PRESENT. THE EMPHASIS SINCE 1960, HOWEVER, HAS SHIFTED TO PREDOMINANTLY SOCIOLOGICAL TOPICS (POLICE-PUBLIC RELATIONS, INTERACTIONISM WITHIN THE POLICE) IN MOST COUNTRIES EXCEPT FRANCE AND BELGIUM, TO OPERATIONS RESEARCH (E.G., ON REPRESSIVE ACTION IN THE NETHERLANDS AND ON PERSONNEL POLICY IN GERMANY), AND TO THE SOCIOPOLITICAL HISTORY OF POLICE STRUCTURE. EXTENSIVE NOTES ARE SUPPLIED. --IN FRENCH. (KMD)