r no hierarchy of authority Well-defined hierarchy
Few or no written rules Written department policy
Greater rootedness Stronger ties to the job
Stewardship/vested interest in community Loyal to PD & other officers
Loyal to people Loyal to bureaucracy
Answer to the people served Answer to the bureaucracy
Greater density of acquaintanceship Greater density of nameless &
Discretion encouraged & vital Control & suppress discretion
Lesser salaries & fewer benefits Greater salaries & benefits
More officers per budget dollars More hardware
More time, less money More money, less time
Greater clearance rates Process greater number of cases
More officers on the streets More officers running the PD
People oriented Problem oriented
Quality (effective) Quantity (efficient)
The National Center for Rural Law Enforcement (NCRLE) is an organization that devotes itself to assisting rural law enforcement agencies across the country in areas such as management education, research, computer and technical assistance and forensics. Rural law enforcement does not elicit as much national or media attention as urban law enforcement. However, rural law enforcement statistics demonstrate an increasing need for a greater understanding and focus on rural departments and policing practices, especially because some aspects of rural policing may be applied to urban and suburban areas like community policing. Statistically, rural crime figures demonstrate the significance of rural policing policies and their similarity or difference to urban policies. For example, nearly 1/3 of all Americans live in rural areas, and 90% of the 13,408 local law enforcement agencies in the United States serve populations of less than 25,000 (Rural Law Enforcement 1).
Nearly 80% of municipal police departments serve populations of under 10,000 people, but violent crime and the number of officers killed ...