Management Issues in Police and Social Worker Alliances: Using the Lens of Occupational Culture

Abstract

Events, often involving members of minority groups, have caused members of the public to question the motives and methods of the police. In these events, police have either reacted to a misperceived threat or misunderstood the situation and responded incorrectly. To prevent future events, some observers have called for an alliance between police and social workers in responding to specific events within the community. Some cases may cause a need for resources that are not within the police domain. In the heat of the moment, determining the best way to deal with emotionally charged situations can require complex decision making. For instance, when police respond to reports of domestic violence, both parties may forget about their own differences and turn on the police. Negative experiences may cause police to respond based on previous experiences, rather than the current situation. This paper examines significant differences in the occupational cultures of social workers and police that may affect how the two units interact and respond to events. Our findings explicate the influence of cultural issues on the effectiveness of the proposed alliance. This paper does not discuss incidents where the groups are working well together, but only those where there may be occupational cultural differences that cause problems.