Contingency Paradox for Police Organizations- Which Policing Style to Choose

In parallel with the apparent ineffectiveness of the police agencies against rising crime rates, community policing emerged as an alternative to traditional policing starting in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Community policing has not only attracted the police departments but also has drawn the attention of scholars and main body of existing literature has generally focused on the effect of community policing on its dependents such as police officers, police departments, and communities. This approach is one-sided and fails to reflect the other side of the coin. Can community policing be dependent upon other factors? Is there any variation across police agencies nationwide in their implementation of community policing? If any, what are the determinants of this variance? This study uses contingency theory in order to explain the effects of internal and external dynamics on police departments' organizational styles. The book addressed specifically to professionals in policing and the justice system in general. It is also directed towards researchers and policy makers in Justice and Public Policy field.