Citation

Pelfrey WV. J. Slav. Mil. Stud. 2005; 18(4): 587-598.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.)

DOI

10.1080/13518040500341981

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Since Perestroika, Russia's police administrators have found themselves in a difficult paradox—Advance the ideas of a New World government with Old World police officers. Police administrators from Moscow and Samara, while attending the Moscow Police Command College in the United States, were surveyed and interviewed on several dimensions. Constructs of interest included perceptions of police style, obstacles facing Russia's police agencies, satisfaction with work, and other issues. Administrators generally espoused a watchman style of policing—endorsing informal handling of incidents rather than invoking the legal process. Key concerns included. terrorism prevention, officer retention, the transition to a federalized criminal code, and technological limitations. Several issues which have historically troubled American policing agencies (excessive force, corruption, domestic violence) were viewed very differently by the Russian police. Findings suggest interesting policy, legal, and criminology avenues for future research and consideration.