Determinants of performance of police organisations in the state of Florida: an evidence-based confirmatory approach

To date, police organisations have not been rigorously analysed by organisational scholars and most analysis of these organisations has been captured through a single construct. The purpose of this study is to develop confirmatory police organisational analysis by validating a multidimensional conceptual framework that explains the relationships among three constructs: environmental constraints, the design structures of police organisations and organisational performance indicators. A total of 113 local police organisations from the State of Florida are included in this non-experimental, cross-sectional study to determine the direct effect of the environmental constraints on the structure and performance of police organisations. For the first time, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) are used together to confirm the effects of the environment on police organisation structure and performance. The study methodology and results enhance the understanding of the relationship among the constructs while subjecting environmental and police organisational data to two comprehensive analytical techniques. The policy implications and practical contributions of this study provide new knowledge and information to organisational management of police organisations, and this study establishes a new approach to police organisational analysis called Police Services Management Research (PSMR) that encompasses a variety of disciplines with a primary responsibility of theory building and the selection of theoretical framework.