ALTHOUGH STAFFS (DEFINED AS GROUPS OF EXPERTS WHO HAVE THE TASK OF ADVISING ON, PLANNING, TESTING, AND RESEARCHING STRATEGICAL PROBLEMS) ARE FREQUENTLY USED IN MILITARY AND INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS, THE WEST GERMAN POLICE HAS SO FAR MADE LITTLE USE OF STAFF WORK. IN ORDER TO EXPLORE (1) INTERNAL ORGANIZATION AND (2) POLICE ATTITUDES TOWARDS STAFF WORK, THIS RESEARCH PROJECT SURVEYED 50 POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN WEST GERMAN CITIES WITH OVER 100,000 INHABITANTS AS CITIES OF THIS SIZE CAN PARTICULARLY BENEFIT FROM THE STAFF WORK CONCEPT. RESULTS INDICATED THAT PERMANENT POLICE STAFFS WERE EXTREMELY RARE, ALTHOUGH AD HOC STAFFS IN CHARGE OF STUDYING PARTICULAR PROBLEMS EXISTED. THE LARGE CITIES WITH URGENT CRIME PROBLEMS WERE MORE RESOURCEFUL IN THEIR STRATEGIC PLANNING, WHILE MIDSIZE TOWNS REJECTED THE STAFF WORK CONCEPT. SEVERAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS EXPRESSED THE DESIRE TO ESTABLISH STAFFS BUT WERE PREVENTED BY PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS. THESE DEPARTMENTS ADVISED THAT STAFF WORK WOULD PROVE PARTICULARLY VALUABLE IN SUCH AREAS AS CRIME ANALYSIS AND CRIME PREDICTION, CRIME PREVENTION, POLICE DEPLOYMENT TACTICS, AND PUBLIC ATTITUDES WORK. OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS DECLARED THEY HAD NO NEEED FOR STAFF WORK. NEVERTHELESS, IN VIEW OF TODAY'S COMPLEX PROBLEMS, EVEN MIDSIZE TOWNS ARE IN NEED OF CONCISE EXPERT INFORMATION. WEST GERMAN POLICE STRATEGIES SUFFER FROM THE LACK OF PERTINENT ADVICE. OVERALL, POLICE ATTITUDES AGAINST THE UNFAMILIAR CONCEPT OF STAFF WORK WILL HAVE TO BE REVISED TO MEET FUTURE CHALLENGES. THE ARTICLE CONTAINS NO REFERENCES. --IN GERMAN. (SAJ)