The communication of innovation in American policing

Reports on the innovations process in American policing. Explores how information about innovation is communicated among police organizations and the factors which influence adoption. Reports the findings of a survey of police chiefs and executives. Develops a model with four elements: cosmopolitanism; risk mediation; peer emulation; and innovativeness. Finds that many police departments use informal networks of communication to support organizational decision making and are often influenced by executives’ participation in policy communities and by efforts to reduce the organization’s perceived risk of civil liability. Recommends that police organizations strengthen their networks of communication in a more formal manner.