Measuring Police Organizations and their "Life Course"

• NCJ Number: 235607
• Date Published: January 2011
• Author(s): Dennis Rosenbaum, Wesley Skogan, Lorie Fridell, Steven Mastrofski, Susan Hartnett, Gary Cordner, Jack McDevitt
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Advancing Knowledge and Practice in Policing: A Longitudinal Platform for National Research

Annotation

This report examines a new methodology for studying police organizations in the 21st century, using online surveys of department employees.

Abstract

This report examines a new methodology for studying police organizations in the 21st century, using online surveys of department employees. By surveying annually with a large and diverse sample of agencies, the methodology can measure the “life course” of these dynamic organizations to document change, provide timely feedback, establish national norms, furnish data series for future research and foster partnerships between practitioners and researchers.