ABSTRACT
Decision-making is deemed a principal responsibility of police management and yet, as obvious and trite as that may sound, the literature dealing with decision-making in police management is quite limited (Swanson et al. 2001). Nonetheless, an understanding of the process of decision-making is essential
Introduction 535 Nineteenth Century: e Embargo Acts538
e “Revenue Cutters” 539 e Mexican Border539 e Filibusteros541
Twentieth Century: Mexican Border Wars541 World War I542 Sky Marshals542 e Mariel Boatli¯543 Nicaragua544 e Balkan Embargo544 Mexico Support545 Narcotic Source Country Support545 e Tragic 9/11 Events546
References548
in determining the reason for the product or outcome of any given decision. How a decision is made can determine why one possible alternative or outcome is chosen over another. Process determines product (Bennett and Hess, 2006; Corder et al. 2004; Drucker, 1973). An understanding of the manner of decision-making can assist in explaining why a police department or other criminal justice organization may pursue a policy that, from an outside perspective, may not have been determined to be the most optimal. Examples include the Branch Davidian standoff at Waco, Texas; the MOVE confrontation in Philadelphia; and the Black Panther raid and killing of Mark Clark and Fred Hampton by the Chicago Police Department (Osterburg and Ward, 2004; Swanson et al. 2001).
