Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Volume 33, Issue 4

The eight papers contained in this issue explore a range of important topics. Five papers focus on various aspects of the police/community relationship ranging from community policing efforts, through community influences on police organizational size and composition, to public perceptions of, or attitudes toward the police. The remaining three papers examine aspects of the police organization and its impact on police behavior. Specifically, the authors of these papers address personnel issues including the role of training and, the development of leadership, as well as the relative contribution of organizational factors to understanding police use of force. Befitting an international journal, the research comes from several different countries.

In addition to these papers, the issue also contains our regular features. J.W. Carter again reviews web-based sources in policing. We have another installment of “Perspectives on policing,” and this issue contains a book review prepared under the editorial supervision of Professor Stanley Shernock, our book review editor.

The web-based submission and manuscript review process is well underway. We are currently working out the “bugs” in the system and mastering the learning curve. The new system promises to be much more efficient but we are currently caught between the former paper copy process and the new digital procedures. Again, I would like to remind submitting authors that we have expanded the structured abstract to include discussion of the social and research implications of the papers contained in the issue. We continue working to insure that contributing authors are aware of and sensitive to any copyright concerns with reprinted materials contained in their articles.

We continue to be excited about the future prospects for the journal. We strive to present the most recent research and thinking on policing topics and to reflect a global perspective that has characterized the journal for so many years. In the past year the I.S.I. impact factor for the journal increased from 0.289 to 0.479. We are quite proud of this rise in the rankings. A reputational ranking of criminal justice/criminology journals reported that Policingis the second highest ranked policing specialty journal behind Police Quarterly, which is the official journal of the Police Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. In short, policing scholars hold the journal in high regard.

We encourage anyone with comments or suggestions to feel free to contact us. We also encourage you to volunteer to serve as a manuscript reviewer and, of course, to submit your work for publication consideration in the journal.

Lawrence F. Travis