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) |
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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 |
Keywords
- Civil service
- Patronage
- Police history
- Reform
- Rule of law
- Vice
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Law