Agency Politics Within the Vbso Agency Politics

Persons wishing to become police officers in the United States must first pass a battery of tests designed to eliminate those who fail to meet the minimum standards (Thomas & Barringer, 2012, p. 1600-1601). Thus begins the indoctrination process for those that enter the academy and survive long enough to be offered a position within a policing agency. One of the first value systems the recruits face is that of police culture, which does not always align with the official mission statement of the sponsoring policing agencies. The continued indoctrination of green officers is the responsibility of senior training officers and any resistance to becoming a member of the agency's culture would likely result in elimination of the officer from field training.

As Thomas and Barringer (2012) note, the effectiveness of a policing agency depends on the ability of its members to recognize and adapt to the many different value systems in existence within their jurisdiction. Within a city police department, for example, the values inherent to neighborhoods, the city government, news media outlets, oversight committees, the state government, and the federal government will at times align with the agency culture, but not always. Negotiating this political landscape will determine how successful the police will be in meeting their agency goals. The most common points of tension between agency and public values is in cases of police misconduct, but internal conflict also arise when talented officers attempt to challenge the status quo. What follows is an examination of the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, the political atmosphere in which it operates, and a recent example of what happens when agency politics come into conflict with external value systems.

Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office

The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office (VBSO) has a storied past (Stolle, 2013, p. 4). First established around the year 1645 and serving a population of about 1,000 colonists, the VBSO now serves close to half a million citizens residing in the City of Virginia Beach and close to 2 million residents in the Princess Anne County metro area. Virginia Beach encompasses...

The city proper is situated along 38 miles of beach property, encompasses over 4,000 acres of parks, and hosts close to 2.75 million overnight visitors each year.
Virginia Beach has its own police department with over 806 sworn officers and 166 civilian staff members (City Manager, 2014a). The Police Chief reports to the Virginia Beach City Manager, who acts as the Chief Executive Officer and is appointed by the City Council (City Manager, 2014b). The City Council has eleven members who must stand for reelection every two years. The mayor and three council members serve as 'at large' council members, while the others must reside in their representative districts. The Mayor is elected every four years and presides over City Council meetings. Virginia Beach therefore operates under a Council-Manager form of government.

By comparison, the Sheriff/High Constable of Virginia Beach oversees approximately 550 sworn officers and manages the correctional services for the county (Stolle, 2013). All Sheriffs in the State of Virginia are elected every four years by the citizens they serve (Virginia Sheriff's Association, 2014a). City sheriff's are all elected one year, while county sheriffs are elected two years later in an alternating cycle. The Sheriff of Virginia Beach, a city sheriff, was reelected to office on November 5, 2013. The responsibilities of the Sheriff of Virginia Beach do not include law enforcement, which falls to the Virginia Beach Police Department (Virginia Sheriff's Association, 2014b). Instead, the VBSO is responsible for operating local jails, ensuring court security, providing inmate transportation, serving court papers to residents, and responding to emergencies.

Since funding can have a significant influence on a policing agency's politics, it is important to note that the VBSO exists because of the funding it receives from local, state, and federal sources (Stolle, 2013). The inmate count determines the level of funding received from state and federal coffers, while local funding supports a number of other programs administered by the VBSO, including…