lice recruits within an urban governmental structure. The author examines the complex and changing demands placed upon police officers in American urban communities, and, within that context, assesses the training requirements for police recruits within an urban governmental structure.
The author observes that the provision of the most effective training possible to police recruits might, at first, appear to be a relatively straight forward task. He points out, however, that significant differences of informed opinion exist as to just how police training should be provided. These opinion differences are related to: (1) the nature of the problems for which police must be trained, which range all the way from traffic enforcement to responding to terrorist activity; (2) the funds available for the development and the conduct of training programs; and (3) theoretical approaches to training on the job training versus academic based training, as an example. The author concludes that the development of police officers with the desired characteristics dictates that training and education be an integral part of the individual officer's career, rather than being restricted to training at the time of entry into law enforcement work. Thus, training must be provided for police recruits, for seasoned police officers, and for police supervisors and administrators. Further, this training must be directly related to the special tasks and responsibilities charged to each of these groups. The author also concludes that both academic and on the job training is required, with the emphasis shifting according to the training focus group. Overall, this work is a valuable contribution to the literature.
Greene, R. E. The Profession of Local Government Management: Management Expertise and the American Community. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.
The principal concerns of this work are the bureaucratic organization of urban governm...