Abstract

Considerable attention has been devoted to understanding police socialization and the resulting culture, yet only recently have scholars turned to a network approach to understand the social relationships between officers. We extend these efforts with results from a pilot study of officer networks in a large US police department. Network data are collected from 88 front-line officers to examine officers’ informal working relationships. Our findings shed light on the connected nature of officer relationships, showing how personal support networks intersect and diverge from more formal advice and mentorship networks. The study provides an alternative starting point for understanding socialization as a vehicle of officer attitudes, values, and behaviors. Likewise, it demonstrates the applicability of a network approach for understanding departments’ social and structural organization. We conclude with a discussion on how officer networks can inform meaningful policy initiatives, including shifting organizational climate, enhancing retention, and curbing abuses.

摘要

人们一直非常重视了解警察的社会化和由此产生的文化，但是直到最近，学者们才转向网络方法来了解警察之间的社会关系。我们通过对大型美国警察局的警官网络进行的初步研究的结果来扩展这些工作。从88名一线官员那里收集网络数据，以检查他们的非正式工作关系。我们的发现揭示了军官关系的联系性，显示了个人支持网络如何与更正式的建议和指导网络相交和相异。该研究为理解社会化作为官员态度，价值观和行为的载体提供了一个替代的起点。同样 它展示了网络方法对于理解部门的社会和结构组织的适用性。最后，我们讨论了官员网络如何为有意义的政策计划提供信息，包括改变组织氛围，提高保留率和遏制滥用行为。