Administrative discretion in public agencies: The case of civilian review of the polic

This study takes a broad look at the discretionary actions of police officers and other street-level bureaucrats. Nowhere in the public sector is discretion a more important issue than in the administration of justice, and police officers epitomize street-level bureaucrats who exercise discretion constantly. However, the exercise of discretion has been identified as a major source of abuses of power. The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) was created to address police abuses. The agency investigates civilian complaints filed against the city's police officers. Its low complaint substantiation rate and inability to investigate all complaints fully have formed the basis for accusations of racial bias and inefficiency.;There is very little empirical, external research on complaints disposed of by all-civilian complaint review agencies. This study attempts to determine the influence of race on the complaint process. A comparison is made with the dispositions of the police department's complaint review system. The study uses a discrete time-series design with logistic regression to analyze several dichotomous variables. The data from the (CCRB) comprise complaints filed, and dispositions made by the agency. There are inconsistencies between the CCRB's published data and the data used for this study. The number of complainants in this study is different from the CCRB records. The study was conducted in two phases to identify patterns of misconduct. The first phase examined substantiated complaints. The second phase examined fully investigated complaints, and predicted factors responsible for the filing of individual complaints.;The findings show that race influences police-civilian encounters, complaint dispositions, and fully investigated complaints. Race was identified as a component in the decision-making processes. From the study's findings, inferences have been made on discretion and its implications for street-level bureaucrats. The study points out that there are no comparable systems to investigate citizens' complaints, concerns, and problems in most public agencies. Subsequently, unethical behavior or errors emanating from discretionary action may go unpunished.;The exercise of discretion is an integral part of government decision making, and its use will continue to generate controversy. The study suggests an agenda for future studies on civilian review and discretion, because of their implications for public policy.