The author contrasts O.W. Wilson's view of a rigid, militaristic police force committed to law enforcement with the service model, which emphasizes responsiveness to the community, participatory management, and professional discretion. He then reports on his 1978-82 indepth case studies of 3 nationally prominent police chiefs who served suburban populations of 150,000 to 550,000. Chiefs' activities were directly observed by the researcher and recorded minute-by-minute. The study focused primarily on the impact of time use, policies, and practices on the chiefs' role in effecting change. The study concludes that the absence of a well-articulated policing philosoperational matters than long-term planning) and in misinformation or information gaps for the chief. Chiefs' sparse knowledge of organization development principles and the tendency to rush innovation due to short job tenures were particular problems. Although they espoused commitment to the service model of policing, chiefs operated within a militaristic, bureaucratic, legalistic structure reflective of O.W. Wilson's model. This suggests that change is difficult for chiefs to implement. Four notes are provided.