Austerity policing’s imperative

Abstract

Most, if not all, police agencies are grappling with budget cuts at a time when demand for their services remains high. Discussions of how to best rationalize police service costs are challenged by the fact that police activities have grown so vast in size and scope that they present a conceptual muddle for would-be cost-cutters. Further, any recommendations for cuts tend to ignore larger and more systemic issues. In this article, we attempt to shed some conceptual clarity by mapping a range of workload and other demands that fall within two general domains of policing activity, termed here ''operational'' and ''administrative'' drivers. We believe that improved understanding of these drivers will shed needed light on how police organizations can best tackle what appears to be an intractable problem.

“It’s all about covering your . . .”: The unintended consequences of police accountability measures

“…This creates more and more work." (Ericson and Haggerty, 1997: 303) Consistently, ethnographic observations-such as those offered by Ericson and Haggerty-make clear that after any action, police are to explain, rationalize, and justify their choice of behavior across paperwork obligations to create a paper trail that seeks to remedy any potential misconduct by presenting the course of action that has led to a legal positioning (Ericson and Haggerty, 1997;Huey et al, 2016).…”

Training police search and rescue teams: Implications for missing persons work

“…Unfortunately, police organizations are left to invest in policies and programs that boost public trust in the police (thereby increasing police legitimacy) while also managing declining budgets due to a concurrent austerity crisis. While austerity measures in policing are not a new phenomenon (den Heyer, 2014), they have been felt most recently among police agencies since the 2008 recession forced many departments to make steep cuts (Huey et al, 2016; Lumsden and Black, 2018). For example, police agencies in the United Kingdom and Canada were forced to make deep cuts while public demand for service remained high (Huey et al, 2016; Lumsden and Black, 2018).…”

“…While austerity measures in policing are not a new phenomenon (den Heyer, 2014), they have been felt most recently among police agencies since the 2008 recession forced many departments to make steep cuts (Huey et al, 2016; Lumsden and Black, 2018). For example, police agencies in the United Kingdom and Canada were forced to make deep cuts while public demand for service remained high (Huey et al, 2016; Lumsden and Black, 2018). Recent cuts in the United States connected to the Defund the Police movement occurred concurrently with other social changes such as rising violent crime rates and severely low police morale, which had ripple effects across global policing systems (Nickeas et al, 2021).…”

“…legitimacy crises; see Todak, 2017), it is critical for police to have adequate and quality training. In addition, the rise in austerity policing places significant emphasis on efficiency and effectiveness in policing (Huey et al, 2016). Therefore, studying and evaluating police training to assess whether it meets these goals are essential.…”

“Giving the Highest Chance of a Good Outcome”: Exploring the Missing Persons Act in British Columbia and Ontario from the Policing Perspective

“…Not only is offering training imperative, but also allowing for dedicated on-the-job time to access training is equally crucial as officers repeatedly remarked that there is little availability to attend or achieve any form of training on the Acts. While it is certainly understood that policing is facing increased austerity measures resulting in significant resource and budget cuts (den Heyer 2014;Huey et al 2016;Lumsden and Black 2018), ensuring…”