Impact of network ties on change in police agency practices
Abstract
Purpose
Organizational research has suggested that network ties influence adoption of innovations and other organizational behavior. This paper aims to study the impact of network ties on change in police agency practices in a sample of city and county police agencies for which Weiss provided data on informal communication ties between agency planners.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyzed change in six agency practices from 1997 to 2000, as indicated in law enforcement management and administrative statistics (LEMAS) data, with a variable indicating whether an agency's network contact engaged in the practice.
Findings
Network ties appeared to influence change in computer use for crime mapping, with change more likely when the agency and its network contact initially differed with respect to the practice. Statistically significant network influences were not found for change in the other practices (existence of a formal community policing plan, geographic assignment of detectives, encouragement of scanning, analysis, response, and assessment (SARA) problem‐solving, computer use for resource allocation, and patrol access to criminal histories).
Research limitations/implications
Results suggest that network ties may affect change in policing practices and innovation, but that this does not necessarily hold across all types of practices.
Practical implications
With at least some evidence of network influences, results suggest that policymakers should attempt to take advantage of network structure when encouraging beneficial changes in agency practices.
Originality/value
This paper studies the impact of network ties on change in police agency practices in a sample of city and county police agencies.
Keywords
Citation
Roberts, A. and Roberts, J.M. (2009), "Impact of network ties on change in police agency practices", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 38-55. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639510910937102
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited