The proposed criteria indicate that a government policy directive to a police department constitutes political accountability to the extent that it is legal, draws attention to the problem without imposing a soulution, is not grossly inefficient, is equitable by some standard, and does not defy fiscal accountability. The less a policy directive meets these criteria, the greater the political interference with the police. These criteria are applied to an examination of accountability and interference in the operation of three mechanisms for controlling municipal police in Troy, N.Y.: the selection of the police manager, the election of city officials, and city council directives. Generalizations are developed to explain the predominance of political interference over political accountability in government-police relations in Troy over the period studied. A table labels specific city council policies as acts of accountability or interference. Fourteen references are listed.