Police Professionalism: The Organizational Attribute

Abstract

Historically, municipal police have utilized a professional model as a basis for reform in an attempt to acquire status, econmic benefits and autonomy. The professionalization of an occupation proceeds through several stages, culminating in a status that can be assessed by the degree to which the occupation has realized the attributes of an ideal-type model. One of the most often noted attributes of a profession is the degree to which it is organizedfor the purpose of developing and discussing theoretical concepts and operational methods. An analysis of the membership of the most prominent national police organization —the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)— indicates that the majority of municipal police organizations, and a substantial majority of both officers and managers, are not represented in the IACP. Possible reasons for this lack of representation, and the implications, are discussed.