Why Law Enforcement Organizations Fail looks carefully at just that issue. Constant negative headlines call into question the ability of U.S. law enforcement to manage itself effectively in a democratic, diverse society. By analyzing a variety of cases, the author shows how crises occur regularly along common structural and cultural fault lines in police agencies at every level of government.The exploration of what handicaps the law enforcement agency goes far beyond "bureaucratic bungling" to examine deep-seated structural and cultural elements of organization. Symptoms such as institutional racism, sexual harassment, and racial profiling are seen as outgrowths of structural-cultural characteristics in law enforcement organizations whose power is often independent of larger social forces. Why Law Enforcement Organizations Fail provides tools for spotting malignant individuals, highlighting perverse incentives, isolating and neutralizing deviant cultures, recognizing policy inertia, and confronting bankrupt philosophies.By helping current and future law enforcement personnel better understand the "lay of the land," this book provides a pragmatic guide for dealing with crises, preventing their recurrence, and restoring the legitimacy of the police in the communities they serve. This book is an excellent addition to any class on police organization and management, criminal justice policy, or police-community relations.

Patrick O'Hara is Associate Professor of Public Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and an Academic Director of the NYPD Certificate Program, which delivers college-based management and community relations curricula to NYPD personnel. He has been President of the New York State Political Science Association, Coordinator of the Conference on Criminal Justice Education, and has written extensively about both public and private-sector management.