National Survey of Investigations in the Community Policing Context, 1997 (ICPSR 3283)

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Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

Questions about the nature and structure of the investigative function constitute a central concern for administrators who are implementing community policing. The concerns are both substantive and political. Substantive questions address what the investigative function should encompass, who should perform it, and its relationship to citizens and other police personnel. Political questions pertain to redefining the roles for detectives and other personnel who may be involved in the investigative process. Additionally, literature on criminal investigations has largely consisted of studies regarding the effectiveness of investigations, with little literature exploring the relationship between community policing and investigations and issues facing police agencies as they address the role of the investigator in community policing. In considering the larger question of what the investigative function should be in a community policing context, the researchers addressed the issue that the primarily reactive investigative function supports only one element of community policing and explored what the investigative function would look like if designed to support the full range of community policing efforts. Specifically, this project considered three main questions to fill the gap in knowledge about community policing implementation: (1) How are community policing agencies in the United States structuring the investigative function? (2) How are they integrating the investigative function with other police services? and (3) How have they managed/are they managing the change process within this function?

Study Design View help for Study Design

This research project involved a national mail survey of municipal police departments and sheriffs offices in all jurisdictions with populations of more than 50,000 and 100 or more sworn officers. The survey was mailed in the late fall of 1997. Data contain responses from 405 municipal departments and 196 sheriffs offices. The survey collected descriptive information about whether the departments had implemented community policing, the organization of their investigative function, and the ways in which the investigative organizational structure or function may have been modified to accommodate a community policing approach. The survey was accompanied by a letter from the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). One month after the first mailing, a second copy of the questionnaire was sent to non-responding agencies, along with another letter from PERF's executive director, again requesting participation.

Sample View help for Sample

Municipal police departments and sheriffs offices serving jurisdictions in the United States with populations of more than 50,000 and having 100 or more sworn officers

Universe View help for Universe

All municipal police departments and sheriffs offices in the United States serving jurisdictions with populations greater than 50,000 and with 100 or more sworn officers in 1997

Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation

Data Source View help for Data Source

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Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables

The questionnaires were similar but were modified depending on whether they were sent to municipal or sheriffs agencies. Data generated by the questionnaires provide descriptive information about the agencies, including agency type, state, size of population served, number of full-time and part-time sworn and civilian personnel, number of auxiliary and rescue personnel, number of detectives, whether the sworn personnel were represented by a bargaining unit, and if the agency was accredited. Respondents reported whether community policing had been implemented and, if so, identified various features that described community policing as it was structured in their agency, including year implementation began, number of sworn personnel with assignments that included community policing activities, and if someone was specifically responsible for overseeing community policing activities or implementation. Also elicited was information about the organization of the investigative function, including number of sworn personnel assigned specifically to the investigative/detective function, the organizational structure of this function, location (physically centralized or decentralized) and assignment (within specific geographic area and/or crime types) of investigators or the investigative function, specialization of detectives/investigators, their pay scale compared to patrol officers, their relationship with patrol officers, and their chain-of-command. Finally, respondents reported whether the investigative structure or function had been modified to accommodate a community policing approach, and if so, the year the changes were first implemented.

Response Rates View help for Response Rates

The response rate for municipal departments was 83.9 percent. The response rate for sheriffs offices was 64.6 percent.

Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales

None.

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Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2001-12-14

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