Cross-cultural police studies allow an understanding of the range of variation and common elements in the field of policing. This article was written on the basis of information gathered on policing and its cultural environment in China and the United States. The relationship between police and culture was examined by comparing the Chinese and American police, taking into account the broader social processes and larger societal patterns. This article specifically illustrates how cultures as larger social contexts and as internalized values influence the organization, operations, and behaviors of police in these two countries. Some theoretical and policy implications for policing are discussed.

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Citizen preferences for different police orientations have seldom been studied as a variable that is affected by degrees of urbanism. Although actual police styles are perceived to reflect preferences of local residents, there is no empirical evidence that suggests this is true. The data for this study was collected by surveying residents living in areas with various levels of urbanism to understand whether degrees of urbanism explain differences in preferences for different policing approaches across urban, suburban, and rural areas. The results indicated that urban residents have a stronger preference for community policing, suburban residents have a greater preference for police professionalism, and rural residents have a stronger interest in problem-oriented policing. The findings are explained with various personal, social, and contextual predictors, and their implications for policing are discussed.

This paper is an explorative study of changes in police organizational structure and operations, and the mindset and culture of individual officers in the U.S. after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The purpose is to understand the extent and nature of police integration, which represents a philosophical and operational departure from the traditional, localized policing feature in the U.S. A small, non-random survey of police officers from departments of various sizes and documentary research of open source materials and government publications are used to gauge this development. Findings suggest that significant changes have taken place in anti-terror training, communications, and in some instances, regionalized operations and partnerships. Most officers surveyed suggest also that their mindset or culture has changed, regardless of the size of the departments they work in. There is no evidence, however, that the traditional, localized police structure is being replaced by a more integrated system for the purpose of fighting terrorism. The police may instead have reinforced the bureaucratic professional crime-fighting model. The implications of these findings and related institutional concepts are discussed.

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