The small‐town police department

Abstract

This conceptual article focuses on the small-town municipal-level police department, as a distinctive model within the mosaic of US policing. As an example of the success of a low-tech, nonmilitarized, open systems model, the small-town police department stands in stark contrast to its urban counterpart. As a result of its affinity towards generalization as opposed to specialization, the small-town department has higher crime clearance rates and is organizationally receptive to the demands and requirements of community-oriented policing. The small-town police department's absence of``professionalism'' and militarism is key to its community connectedness, the foundation of its efficacy.

Trouble in the Heartland: Challenges Confronting Rural Jails

“…Yet, there is growing interest in understanding the nature of crime in rural communities and how officials have responded to these offenses (Deller and Deller, 2010;Falcone, Wells, and Weisheit, 2002;Lee and Thomas, 2010;Payne, Berg, and Sun, 2005). Some of this increasing attention may result from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data that show high rates of crime in some rural areas.…”

An Analysis of Factors Affecting the Implementation of Small Municipal Police Agencies: An Open-Systems Approach

“…Smaller communities have a larger extent of relationships between the people who live there. This "density of acquaintanceships" (Freudenberg 1986) creates close connections among citizens and close personal ties between the police and members of the community, and may lead rural citizens to be more aware of crime and criminal activity (Falcone et al 2002;Liederbach and Frank 2003). However, rural citizens may also be less supportive of government intrusion and unreceptive to outsiders (Weisheit and Wells 1996).…”

The Justice Innovation Center: Identifying the Needs and Challenges of Criminal Justice Agencies in Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Areas

“…For example, although police in smaller agencies are reported to maintain closer ties to citizens, as well as to be better acquainted with local citizens (Liederbach and Frank, 2003), police in larger agencies engage in a wider variety of community policing activities (Maguire et al, 1997). Other studies have found that per capita expenditures (per officer and resident) are lower and clearance rates are higher in small agencies, implying greater effectiveness and efficiency than in urban jurisdictions (Falcone, Wells, and Weisheit, 2002).…”

“…Studies have found that officers in small agencies are less likely than officers in large agencies and metropolitan areas to specialize and more likely to deal with a broader array of issues and that officers in smaller agencies are more likely than officers in larger cities to be acquainted with the citizens they encounter and to maintain closer ties to citizens (Falcone, Wells, and Weisheit, 2002;Liederbach and Frank, 2003). Small and rural agencies might also deal with different kinds of incidents from those that large urban agencies handle.…”

“…Small and rural agencies tend to have lower expenditures per officer and resident, as well as higher clearance rates, than their urban counterparts (Falcone, Wells, and Weisheit, 2002). Police departments that serve fewer than 25,000 residents, for example, have salaries that range from $30,900 to $54,600, whereas officer salaries in departments serving more than 25,000 residents range from $45,700 to $75,100 (Reaves, 2015).…”