ABSTRACT
For most in the law enforcement profession, policing is a brotherhood or what can best be described as a family. All are united as a team in a struggle against crime, terrorism, and deviance. ‰eir common bond is a sense of doing good-of establishing and maintaining justice. We have observed this nationally and even internationally, as o¦cers have an unspoken understanding of what they are up against. ‰is phenomenon is especially seen when an o¦cer dies in the line of duty. All ranks join in an understanding of the cost of battle. Compstat, as practiced by the NYPD upper echelon, can seriously hamper that sense of connection. It replaces team spirit with fear of management. No longer are all members of the NYPD joined as one, a family —ghting the enemy together. Rather, management changes the dynamic to administration versus the rank-and-—le. ‰e lower ranks do come together but not primarily to battle crime, to save democracy, nor to help victims. ‰ey join in a task made necessary by the top-down management style practiced by the NYPD. ‰eir e¥orts are focused on making sure the numbers of summonses, index crimes, and stop-and-frisk reports look good for Compstat; they play the numbers game.
