Organizational Design Model Of The Board

Organizational Design Model Of The Bo

This paper will be a brief examination of the organizational design model used by the Boston Police Department, the Line and Staff Structure. This is a popular organizational design model in use by many of the mid to larger police departments in the United States and is second to the line structure whose popularity is guided by the fact that the 49% of the police departments within our country employ 10 officers or less. Boston, Massachusetts is the 21st largest city in the United States and is served by the Boston Police Department which is the 15th largest municipal/local police department in the United States by the number of sworn officers. (Reaves, 2011) The Boston Police Department’s 2,181 officers serve a diverse population that is estimated to be at 636,479 people. (Pearson Education, Inc., 2013)

The organizational model used by the Boston Police Department is known as the line and staff structure. This is similar to the line organizational structure used by the majority of smaller law enforcement agencies throughout the country. “The line structure is the oldest, simplest and clearest form of organizational design.” (Swanson, Territo, and Taylor, 2012, p. 232) This design is based off of the military system of command and control, often referred to as the Chain of Command. The main difference between the line structure and the line and staff structure is that the latter employs support functions to assist line officers, who are engaged directly in policing and public interactions. These support units bring expertise and judgment, supplementing the decision-making capabilities of line officers who may lack experience or a broader perspective.

In the Boston Police Department, uniform patrol officers are assigned to 13 districts under the Bureau of Field Services, each overseen by a police captain. These districts feature various specialized units such as drug control, detectives investigating property crimes, auto investigations, evidence storage, youth services, anti-crime units targeting street-level and gang-related crimes, domestic violence, and community service teams. Additionally, specialized divisions like SWAT, bomb squad, harbor patrol, hazardous materials, canine units, and commercial vehicle enforcement operate within the department’s structure, particularly under the Field Services Bureau.

The Bureau of Investigative Services manages major investigations, including homicide, armed robbery, and sexual assault cases, and oversees drug investigations targeting significant traffickers. Internal oversight is maintained through units like Internal Affairs, Auditing, and Anti-Corruption, which are directly accountable to the Chief of Police. Administrative units further support the department’s operations, emphasizing a comprehensive organizational framework that aligns with contemporary policing demands.

The Boston Police Department’s organizational adaptations reflect theories such as Resource Dependency Theory (RDT), seen in decisions like disbanding the mounted patrol due to budget constraints, and the Neo-institutional Theory’s political institutional framework (PIF), considering the influence of internal and external political organizations, including police unions and local government. These theories illustrate how external funding, political pressures, and organizational self-preservation influence policing structures and resource allocation.

Overall, the Boston Police Department exemplifies the line and staff model's effectiveness in balancing operational control and specialized support. Its structure enables it to respond effectively to diverse community needs while maintaining internal accountability and adapting to external political and social dynamics. As a longstanding institution, it continues to evolve, incorporating organizational theory insights to meet future challenges in law enforcement.

References

• Brown, S. (2009). The end of an era for the Boston police mounted unit. WBUR Boston’s NPR News Station.
• Boston Police Department. (2014). BPDnews.com. The official website of the Boston Police Department.
• Reaves, B. (2011). Census of state and local law enforcement agencies, 2008. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
• Pearson Education, Inc. (2013). Top 50 cities in the U.S. by population and rank. Information Please Database.
• Swanson, C. R., Territo, L., & Taylor, R. W. (2012). Police administration: structures, processes and behaviors (8th ed.). Pearson.
• Reaves, B. (2011). Census of state and local law enforcement agencies, 2008. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
• Swanson, C. R., Territo, L., & Taylor, R. W. (2012). Police administration: structures, processes and behaviors (8th ed.). Pearson.
• Boston Police Department. (2014). BPDnews.com. The official website of the Boston Police Department.
• Brown, S. (2009). The end of an era for the Boston police mounted unit. WBUR Boston’s NPR News Station.
• Reaves, B. (2011). Census of state and local law enforcement agencies, 2008. Bureau of Justice Statistics.