SUMMARY 3

This week you will be introduced to some foundational theoretical writings on police. As you read these articles, think about what social phenomenon the theory is attempting to explain (i.e., crime, police behavior, organizational structure, etc.). What are the propositions of theory? In other words, what factors are proposed to influence the outcome variable and what are some of the implications of the theory?

First, you will read an article by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling which introduced “broken windows theory” and suggests that visible signs of disorder and neglect can contribute to an overall increase in crime. This article was extremely influential in police policy in the 1980s and 1990s. While reading this article, think about the policy implications for police. If minor signs of disorder are proposed to lead to more serious types of crimes, what can (or should) police do to reduce crime? What might be some unintended consequences if police aggressively enforce minor offenses?

Second, you will read an article by John Crank and Robert Langworthy which theorizes about how myths in the institutional environment of police agencies can influence their formal structure and activities. This article applies “institutional theory” from Meyers and Rowan’s article to police. The authors suggest that police departments are highly institutionalized organizations. What do they mean by this? Make sure you understand some of the key terms of the theory including myths, sovereigns, and how the authors claim police agencies deal with “legitimacy crises.” Be able to distinguish between the technical environments and institutional environments that influence police departments and why the authors argue that the institutional environment is more influential on public sector organizations like police. Additionally, ensure you can provide specific examples of how the institutional environment has influenced police structure and activities according to Crank and Langworthy.

Third, you will read an article by David Klinger which attempts to explain how police behavior can vary across physical spaces (e.g., local communities). He develops an ecological theory about police behavior and argues that community level factors like neighborhood crime and deviance rates can influence the leniency (or vigor) of police officer behavior. It attempts to explain how the beat or district an officer works in can influence their responses. Make sure you understand the key propositions of the theory.

• THE SECOND ARTICLE IS A JOURNAL Crank, J. P., & Langworthy, R. (1992). Institutional perspective on policing. Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 83, 338-363
• THE THIRD ARTICLE IS ALSO A JOURNAL Klinger, D. A. (1997). Negotiating order in patrol work: An ecological theory of police response to deviance. Criminology, 35(2), 277-306.