Analyzes “use of force” reports from one municipal law enforcement agency to assess officer reliance upon Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray. When the agency first authorized OC, it classified OC as an impact weapon along with batons, flashlights, and stun guns. A year later, the department revised its policy and downgraded OC to the level of soft hand techniques (punches, kicks, and pain compliance). Before this policy change, social characteristics of officers and suspects had no influence on whether OC was used. New predictors emerged after the restrictions on OC were relaxed. Officers who were male, college educated, and veterans were more likely to rely upon OC than hand‐to‐hand maneuvers. In addition, officers tend to resort to pepper spray when they are at a physical disadvantage compared to the relative size of the offender. OC use does decline as suspects become more violent. Finally, the use of pepper spray significantly curtails officer and offender injuries. Discusses the implications of these findings for police organizations and further research.

Purpose-To examine whether accredited police agencies display higher clearance rates than their non-accredited counterparts. Design/methodology/approach-The study group consists of all municipal police departments operating continuously in the State of Florida from 1997 through 2006. Independent variables capture organizational characteristics for nearly 260 agencies to determine whether becoming accredited improves clearance rates. Findings-Random-effects tobit analysis suggests that accreditation status does not affect violent and property crime clearance rates. Clearance rates are more influenced by the number of sworn personnel and law enforcement expenditures per capita. Research limitations/implications-Much of what is currently known about the impact of accreditation stems from anecdotal and testimonial evidence. Still, the industry manages to expand and flourish. A glaring need for sound empirical research is evident. Practical implication-Instead of advancing the protection of local communities and bringing about meaningful organizational reform, accreditation appears to be a useful tool for bureaucrats who wish to further their own careers. Originality/value-Advocates link accreditation status to a number of benefits, including better investigatory practices that culminate in more solved cases. Recent academic work suggests that accreditation has dubious benefits, despite claims to the contrary. This study adds to that literature by showing that accreditation also fails to elevate clearance rates.

The absorption of women into law enforcement, on the other hand, has proceeded at a snail's pace. Despite affirmative action mandates and a plethora of studies showing that women make capable patrol officers, females still account for less than 10 percent of all municipal officers in this country (

In 2003, the Florida Supreme Court lifted the ban that prohibited sheriff deputies from engaging in collective bargaining. Borrowing data from the Criminal Justice Agency Profile, an annual census of Florida law enforcement agencies, this study asks two questions. First, what impact does the decision have on job benefits? Second, would restricting analysis to agencies with 100+ sworn members alter the findings? Fixed-effects panel data analyses reveal a noteworthy effect on starting salaries. Focusing on just larger agencies leads to a dramatic underestimation of the decision’s impact. The timeliness of this study is appraised in light of pending federal legislation.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the adoption of state accreditation has diffused or spread among Florida municipal police law enforcement agencies.Design/methodology/approachThe study group consists of all municipal police departments operating continuously in the State of Florida from 1997 through 2006. Independent variables are taken from an annual survey, sponsored by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to compare agencies that became accredited (n=81) with agencies that did not gain state accreditation (n=189).FindingsWhile accredited agencies differ from non‐accredited agencies on a host of indicators at the zero‐order, it does not appear that the state accreditation process itself is responsible for nurturing organizational change. Having received national accreditation is an important predictor of gaining state accreditation.Research limitations/implicationsInstead of looking at organizational details, future researchers might wish to conceive of accreditation as a credentialing process and concentrate on characteristics of agency leaders, especially those who are seeking upward mobility in their professional careers.Practical implicationState accreditation status has reached only a small portion of the intended audience and appears to have morphed into a credential rather than an actual tool for meaningful reform.Originality/valueThis paper informs accreditation oversight bodies as to who their self‐selected constituents tend to be and which members of the target audience are not being reached.