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Communication and Police Organizations: The Case of Compstat

Year 2014, Issue: 22, 202 - 218, 31.12.2014
https://doi.org/10.31123/akil.442128

Abstract

Effective communication is suggested to be crucial for the success of organizations. In terms
of police organizations, the hierarchical and bureaucratic structure, chain of command,
centralized decision making, and cultural tendency to hide information that remain in many police
organizations is believed to be the major obstacle in effective communication which, in turn,
leads to coordination problems, distortion and unresponsiveness to environmental changes.
Practical solutions in popular books remain in theory without organizing a system for effective
communication.
This article analyzes communication aspect of a popular management model in the USA called
Compstat which is suggested to help organizing a system for effective communication in police
organizations. The data is collected through the interviews of 26 police officers and observation
of Compstat meetings for 6 months in a large police organization (Newark Police Department)
located in the USA. The findings suggest that Compstat model helped to overcome the
communication problems rooted in bureaucracy and hierarchy of police organizations. However,
there are still some problems in terms of disseminating information to frontline officers, the extent
and quality of information sharing and expressing their thoughts freely in the regular Compstat
meetings. Based on these findings, this article discusses deeply the contribution of this model for
the communication problems in the police organizations and gives suggestions for practitioners.
Keywords: Police Organizations, Communication, Compstat, Compstat Meetings, Hierarchy, Bureaucracy.

References

  • Bratton, W., & Knobler, P. (1998). Turnaround: How America’s top cop reversed the crime epidemic. New York: Random House.
  • Buntin, J. (1999). Assertive policing, plummeting crime: The NYPD takes on crime in New York City. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Cambridge: MA.
  • Dantzker, M. L. (1999). Police organization and management: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Dawson, P. (2004). Managing change. In D. Tourish & O. Hargie (Eds.), Key issues in organizational communication (pp. 60-73). New York: Routledge.
  • Doerner, W. G., & Dantzker, M. L. (2000). Contemporary police organization and management: Issues and trends. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Henry, V.E. (2002). The Compstat paradigm. New York: Looseleaf Law Publications Inc.
  • Kelling, G.L., & Sousa, W.H. (2001). Do police matter? An analysis of the impact of New York City’s police reforms. New York: Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute.
  • Lewis, L. K. & Seibold, D. R. (1998). Reconceptualizing organizational change implementation as a communication problem: A review of literature and research agenda. Communication Yearbook, 21, 92–151.
  • Newfield, J., & Jacobson, M. (2000). An interview with William Bratton. Retrieved March 27, 2007, from Academic Search Premier Database.
  • O’Connell P. E. & Straub F. (2007). Performance-Based management for police organizations. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc.
  • Orlikowski, W. J. (1992). CASE tools as organizational change: Investigating incremental and radical changes in systems development. MIS Quarterly, 17, 309-340.
  • Putnam, L. L., & Krone, K. J. (2006). Editors’ introduction. In L. L. Putnam & K. J. Krone (Eds.), Organizational communication (pp. xxiii – xliii). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Ruben, B. D. (2005). Excellence in Higher Education: A Guide to Assessment, Planning and Improvement in Colleges and Universities. Washington, DC: National Association of College and University Business Officers. Silverman, E. B. (1999). NYPD battles crime: Innovative Strategies in policing. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
  • Smith, D. C., & Bratton, W. J. (2001). Performance management in New York City: COMPSTAT and the Revolution in Police Management. In D. Forsythe (Ed.), Quicker, better, cheaper? Managing performance in American Government (pp. 452-483). New York: Rockefeller Institute.
  • Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. M. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Thayer, L. (1986). Communication and communication systems: In Organization, Management, and İnterpersonal relations. Lanham: University Press of America.
  • Thayer, L. (1988). On communication: Essays in understanding. New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
  • Vito, G. F., Walsh, W. F., & Kunselman, J. (2005). Compstat: The Manager’s Perspective. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 7, 187-196.
  • Walker, R. (Ed). (1985). Applied Qualitative Research. Aldershot, UK: Gower. Yin, R. K. (2003). Case Study Research Design and Methods (3d ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Year 2014, Issue: 22, 202 - 218, 31.12.2014
https://doi.org/10.31123/akil.442128

Abstract

References

  • Bratton, W., & Knobler, P. (1998). Turnaround: How America’s top cop reversed the crime epidemic. New York: Random House.
  • Buntin, J. (1999). Assertive policing, plummeting crime: The NYPD takes on crime in New York City. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Cambridge: MA.
  • Dantzker, M. L. (1999). Police organization and management: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Dawson, P. (2004). Managing change. In D. Tourish & O. Hargie (Eds.), Key issues in organizational communication (pp. 60-73). New York: Routledge.
  • Doerner, W. G., & Dantzker, M. L. (2000). Contemporary police organization and management: Issues and trends. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Henry, V.E. (2002). The Compstat paradigm. New York: Looseleaf Law Publications Inc.
  • Kelling, G.L., & Sousa, W.H. (2001). Do police matter? An analysis of the impact of New York City’s police reforms. New York: Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute.
  • Lewis, L. K. & Seibold, D. R. (1998). Reconceptualizing organizational change implementation as a communication problem: A review of literature and research agenda. Communication Yearbook, 21, 92–151.
  • Newfield, J., & Jacobson, M. (2000). An interview with William Bratton. Retrieved March 27, 2007, from Academic Search Premier Database.
  • O’Connell P. E. & Straub F. (2007). Performance-Based management for police organizations. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc.
  • Orlikowski, W. J. (1992). CASE tools as organizational change: Investigating incremental and radical changes in systems development. MIS Quarterly, 17, 309-340.
  • Putnam, L. L., & Krone, K. J. (2006). Editors’ introduction. In L. L. Putnam & K. J. Krone (Eds.), Organizational communication (pp. xxiii – xliii). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Ruben, B. D. (2005). Excellence in Higher Education: A Guide to Assessment, Planning and Improvement in Colleges and Universities. Washington, DC: National Association of College and University Business Officers. Silverman, E. B. (1999). NYPD battles crime: Innovative Strategies in policing. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
  • Smith, D. C., & Bratton, W. J. (2001). Performance management in New York City: COMPSTAT and the Revolution in Police Management. In D. Forsythe (Ed.), Quicker, better, cheaper? Managing performance in American Government (pp. 452-483). New York: Rockefeller Institute.
  • Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. M. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Thayer, L. (1986). Communication and communication systems: In Organization, Management, and İnterpersonal relations. Lanham: University Press of America.
  • Thayer, L. (1988). On communication: Essays in understanding. New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
  • Vito, G. F., Walsh, W. F., & Kunselman, J. (2005). Compstat: The Manager’s Perspective. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 7, 187-196.
  • Walker, R. (Ed). (1985). Applied Qualitative Research. Aldershot, UK: Gower. Yin, R. K. (2003). Case Study Research Design and Methods (3d ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
There are 19 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Yusuf Yüksel This is me

Publication Date December 31, 2014
Submission Date July 10, 2018
Published in Issue Year 2014 Issue: 22

Cite

APA Yüksel, Y. (2014). Communication and Police Organizations: The Case of Compstat. Akdeniz Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Dergisi(22), 202-218. https://doi.org/10.31123/akil.442128