ABSTRACT

The “S” in both LODESTAR and in POSDCORB stands for “staffing,” one of the major managerial responsibilities of a criminal justice official. Staffing involves hiring agency employees, then fostering their career development, protecting their employment rights, disciplining them, and promoting them. Most criminal justice staffing actions are covered by civil service rules, but there are some exceptions. In most states, elected criminal justice officials are exempt from some or all of the civil rights laws and regulations, as are many of their personal appointees. This divided approach was one of the recommendations made by Woodrow Wilson in his seminal 1887 article on public administration. Prior to the 1880s, most criminal justice staffing actions were not covered by civil service laws and practices but were in the domain of patronage appointments, that is, appointments in whole or in large measure made because of one’s affiliation with a victorious political party or candidate.