ALTHOUGH CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEMS BEGAN AND CONTINUE IN LAW, THEY TAKE THEIR PARTICULAR FORMS FROM THE SOCIAL STRUCTURES AROUND THEM. THE STUDY EXAMINED 42 CITIES IN THE PERMANENT COMMUNITY SAMPLE OF THE NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER, OF WHICH 85 PERCENT HAVE SOME POLICE PERSONNEL COVERED BY THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM. THE REGULATORY ROLE OF THE COMMISSIONS WAS FOUND TO BE SIMILAR IN MOST CITIES, BUT THE ADMINISTRATIVE, ADVISORY, ADJUDICATORY, AND POLICY FORMULATING ROLES DIFFERED FROM PLACE TO PLACE BECAUSE OF EXTERNAL FACTORS SUCH AS THE BALANCE OF URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE CONSTRAINTS. THESE INCLUDE URBAN COMPLEXITY, ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALISM, PUBLIC EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATIONS, LABOR AND LOCAL POLITICAL GROUPS AND OTHER URBAN ACTORS. CIVIL SERVICE REFORM APPEARS TO BE MOST POSSIBLE IN THE ADVISORY AND ADJUDICATORY ROLES. TABLES SUMMARIZE SUCH FINDINGS AS CIVIL SERVICE ROLE PERFORMANCE, CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITIES STUDIED, INTERRELATIONSHIPS AMONG URBAN CHARACTERISTICS (SUCH AS RACE, AGE, AND WORK FORCE) AND THEIR IMPACT ON CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION ROLES, AND THE INFLUENCES OF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS OR ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN A CITY UPON ISSUES. (RFC)