Abstract
In February 1936, a vice scandal rocked the town of Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A. Evidence was produced to show that local police had allowed gambling and prostitution to continue contrary to law. Within a year, civil service rules had been introduced at the Eugene Police Department. These rules ‘reformed’ policing by breaking the direct links between police and ward politicians. By accessing a range of primary source materials including newspapers, oral histories, census data and crime statistics, and, by situating the ‘scandal’ within a broader historical framework, this article explores the ways in which civil service reform might best be understood.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 91-119 |
| Number of pages | 29 |
| Journal | Policing and Society |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1 1993 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Civil service
- Patronage
- Police history
- Reform
- Rule of law
- Vice
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Law
- Sociology and Political Science
Cite this
Making sense of civil service reform : Policing, politics and power in eugene, oregon during the great depression. / Websdale, Neil S.
In: Policing and Society, Vol. 3, No. 2, 01.02.1993, p. 91-119.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Making sense of civil service reform
T2 - Policing, politics and power in eugene, oregon during the great depression
AU - Websdale, Neil S
PY - 1993/2/1
Y1 - 1993/2/1
N2 - In February 1936, a vice scandal rocked the town of Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A. Evidence was produced to show that local police had allowed gambling and prostitution to continue contrary to law. Within a year, civil service rules had been introduced at the Eugene Police Department. These rules ‘reformed’ policing by breaking the direct links between police and ward politicians. By accessing a range of primary source materials including newspapers, oral histories, census data and crime statistics, and, by situating the ‘scandal’ within a broader historical framework, this article explores the ways in which civil service reform might best be understood.
AB - In February 1936, a vice scandal rocked the town of Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A. Evidence was produced to show that local police had allowed gambling and prostitution to continue contrary to law. Within a year, civil service rules had been introduced at the Eugene Police Department. These rules ‘reformed’ policing by breaking the direct links between police and ward politicians. By accessing a range of primary source materials including newspapers, oral histories, census data and crime statistics, and, by situating the ‘scandal’ within a broader historical framework, this article explores the ways in which civil service reform might best be understood.
KW - Civil service
KW - Patronage
KW - Police history
KW - Reform
KW - Rule of law
KW - Vice
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U2 - 10.1080/10439463.1993.9964661
DO - 10.1080/10439463.1993.9964661
M3 - Article
VL - 3
SP - 91
EP - 119
JO - Policing and Society
JF - Policing and Society
SN - 1043-9463
IS - 2
ER -