Institutional isomorphism and the federal consent decree
Published online on November 21, 2016
Abstract
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Volume 39, Issue 4, Page 756-772, November 2016.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which constructs of institutional isomorphism apply to Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) performance measurements of the US Department of Justice’s federal consent decree. Design/methodology/approach A case-study approach was used to gather and analyze the data, including documentary research, personal interviews, and observations. Findings The findings demonstrate that isomorphic pressures existed in the LAPD’s Audit Division and influenced the development of performance measures for reforms although not in a straightforward or unidimensional manner. Originality/value Police auditing in the context of the federal consent decree is shown to be a viable approach for institutionalizing police reforms, but further research is necessary on specific performance measurements of police operations and relationship between these measures and police effectiveness.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which constructs of institutional isomorphism apply to Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) performance measurements of the US Department of Justice’s federal consent decree. Design/methodology/approach A case-study approach was used to gather and analyze the data, including documentary research, personal interviews, and observations. Findings The findings demonstrate that isomorphic pressures existed in the LAPD’s Audit Division and influenced the development of performance measures for reforms although not in a straightforward or unidimensional manner. Originality/value Police auditing in the context of the federal consent decree is shown to be a viable approach for institutionalizing police reforms, but further research is necessary on specific performance measurements of police operations and relationship between these measures and police effectiveness.