Melissa Schaefer Morabito, Amy Watson and Jeffrey Draine
The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictors of officer attitudes toward Crisis Intervention Teams, a new innovation designed to improve police response to people with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictors of officer attitudes toward Crisis Intervention Teams, a new innovation designed to improve police response to people with mental illnesses.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study uses data from a larger study of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program. CIT and Non‐CIT officers were surveyed in four districts. To examine the predictors of officer perceptions of crisis intervention teams, OLS regression is used.
Findings
Neither CIT nor non‐CIT officers seem to show the kinds of negative views of CIT that have undercut other social welfare based police innovations. Among CIT trained officers, those who had the opportunity to practice their new skills by responding to mental health related calls for service had more positive attitudes toward the program than those who did not.
Originality/value
This paper adds to both the Crisis Intervention Team and innovation literatures by examining an important aspect of the CIT implementation process. A model is developed that explores the correlates of officer support for the innovation and the conditions necessary for its successful implementation.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of the political environment in the implementation of community policing, using a model informed by the innovations perspective…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of the political environment in the implementation of community policing, using a model informed by the innovations perspective in addition to the criminal justice literature.
Design/methodology/approach
Using archival data, this paper draws a national sample of 428 police jurisdictions. Multivariate models are estimated to determine the influence of reform governments as indicated by city managers, non‐partisan and at‐large elections, on community policing.
Findings
This paper finds evidence to suggest that reform governments have a limited but significant influence on the adoption of community policing. Form of government and the type of municipal elections do directly influence community policing. Results demonstrate that the innovations literature does explain some variation in community policing adoption across municipalities.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of the study should have implications for understanding the extent to which police strategies are implemented in jurisdictions of varying size and demographics. Further research about the adoption of police innovation should be informed by both the criminal justice and the innovations literature.
Originality/value
This paper has value for academics and practitioners interested in the relationship between municipal government and police activities and policies.