ABSTRACT
By the nature of their work, front-line police officers are afforded a large amount of discretion (Goldstein, 1963). To ensure officers are acting in accordance with the police organization's objectives, their decisions require a certain amount of direction and oversight. This responsibility falls primarily on front-line supervisors. Indeed, front-line officers often act as ‘policy makers’ in the sense that their decisions to invoke or not invoke the law and departmental policy affect the final form both laws and policies take on. For instance, supervision plays a part in the extent to which front-line officers engage in behaviour that reflects the current strategy of the organization (DeJong et al., 2001; Engel & Worden, 2003).
