‘Contradictions in accountability: reforming the police through collective bargaining agreements’

Extant literature indicates that police misconduct is a byproduct of systemic deficiencies which are best addressed at a structural level. Conversely, most reformative strategies have narrowly focused on individual-level police and police organizations as targets of change to address misconduct. However, external influences such as police unions have largely been overlooked as targets of change in existing accountability structures. This paper addresses the influence of external agencies in institutional reform strategies following the professionalization of the police in North America. By examining contractual relations in collective bargaining agreements, the limitations in current reformative strategies on organizational, individual, and legal levels will be addressed to elucidate the role that police unions can play in bringing about police reform.