The effect of civilian oversight on police organizational performance: a quasi-experimental study
Abstract
Although civilian oversight has been introduced to make the police accountable to citizens and perform better, its effectiveness has not been thoroughly investigated yet. To better understand civilian oversight of the police, this study explores its theoretical basis as an accountability mechanism and suggests how it holds police agencies accountable even without direct disciplinary authority. The data from Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey, the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) program, and the Fatal Encounters (FE) database are analyzed to estimate the effect of civilian oversight on police organizational performance, using a propensity score matching analysis. Among the dependent variables included in the analysis as performance indicators, civilian oversight turns out to have a significant influence only on police agencies’ clearance rates. The police agencies with civilian oversight have lower clearance rates by 2.71 percentage points on average compared to those without civilian oversight. The implications of civilian oversight's negative impact on police organizational performance are further discussed.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Civilian review boards are not associated with changes in arrests, crime, or use of force.
“nor are CRBs associated with changes in arrests, crime, or use of force (7).”
From Does civilian oversight impact police legitimacy? (2025) · cites this paper as [7]
Cites
The job demands-resources model of burnout.
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499 · Cited by 13,643 · see citing works
Austin, P. C. (2011) · Multivariate Behavioral Research · doi:10.1080/00273171.2011.568786 · Cited by 12,242 · see citing works
Social Identity Theory and the Organization
Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. A. (1989) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.2307/258189 · Cited by 11,467 · see citing works
SOME PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPENSITY SCORE MATCHING
Caliendo, M., & Kopeinig, S. (2008) · Journal of Economic Surveys · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6419.2007.00527.x · Cited by 6,238 · see citing works
Multitask principal – agent analyses: Incentive contracts, asset ownership, and job design
Holmstrom, B., & Milgrom, P. (1991) · The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization · doi:10.1093/jleo/7.special_issue.24 · Cited by 6,046 · see citing works
Propensity Score-Matching Methods for Nonexperimental Causal Studies
Dehejia, R., & Wahba, S. (2002) · The Review of Economics and Statistics · doi:10.1162/003465302317331982 · Cited by 4,777 · see citing works
The role of personal resources in the job demands-resources model.
Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2007) · International Journal of Stress Management · doi:10.1037/1072-5245.14.2.121 · Cited by 3,051 · see citing works
Nonparametric Estimation of Average Treatment Effects Under Exogeneity: A Review
Imbens, G. W. (2004) · Review of Economics and Statistics · doi:10.1162/003465304323023651 · Cited by 2,994 · see citing works
Analysing and Assessing Accountability: A Conceptual Framework <sup>1</sup>
Bovens, M. (2007) · European Law Journal · doi:10.1111/j.1468-0386.2007.00378.x · Cited by 2,667 · see citing works
Why Propensity Scores Should Not Be Used for Matching
King, G., & Nielsen, R. (2019) · Political Analysis · doi:10.1017/pan.2019.11 · Cited by 1,706 · see citing works
Social comparison and social identity: Some prospects for intergroup behaviour
Turner, J. C. (1975) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.2420050102 · Cited by 1,434 · see citing works
Two Concepts of Accountability: Accountability as a Virtue and as a Mechanism
Bovens, M. (2010) · West European Politics · doi:10.1080/01402382.2010.486119 · Cited by 1,019 · see citing works
Classics of Public Administration
Shafritz, J. M., & Hyde, A. C. (1987) · Cited by 642 · see citing works
Accountability in the Regulatory State
Scott, C. (2000) · Journal of Law and Society · doi:10.1111/1467-6478.00146 · Cited by 637 · see citing works
Accountabilities: Five Public Services
Day, P. (1987) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 620 · see citing works
Above the law: police and the excessive use of force
(1993) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.31-1241 · Cited by 608 · see citing works
Final Report of The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing
President's Task Force on st Century Policing (2015) · Cited by 533 · see citing works
Mulgan, R. G. (2003) · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · doi:10.1057/9781403943835 · Cited by 481 · see citing works
Pay, Reference Points, and Police Performance*
Mas, A. (2006) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1162/qjec.121.3.783 · Cited by 392 · see citing works
Using the Propensity Score Method to Estimate Causal Effects
Li, M. (2012) · Organizational Research Methods · doi:10.1177/1094428112447816 · Cited by 370 · see citing works
Nabatchi, T. (2010) · The American Review of Public Administration · doi:10.1177/0275074009356467 · Cited by 321 · see citing works
Normative and Instrumental Perspectives on Public Participation
Moynihan, D. P. (2003) · The American Review of Public Administration · doi:10.1177/0275074003251379 · Cited by 246 · see citing works
Delimiting Democratic Accountability
Philp, M. (2008) · Political Studies · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.2008.00720.x · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Public Participation and Organizational Performance: Evidence from State Agencies
Neshkova, M. I., & Guo, H. (2011) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/mur038 · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Shjarback, J. A., Pyrooz, D. C., Wolfe, S. E., & Decker, S. H. (2017) · Journal of Criminal Justice · doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2017.04.003 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Public Deliberation: An Alternative Approach to Crafting Policy and Setting Direction
Roberts, N. (1997) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.2307/977060 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
Public Management and Organizational Performance: The Case of Law Enforcement Agencies
Nicholson‐Crotty, S. (2004) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/muh001 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Mcmurry, T., Hu, Y., Blackstone, E., & Kozower, B. (2015) · Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery · doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.03.057 · Cited by 150 · see citing works
Police Occupational Culture: Testing the Monolithic Model
Paoline, E. A., & Gau, J. M. (2017) · Justice Quarterly · doi:10.1080/07418825.2017.1335764 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Measuring and improving police performance: the lessons of Compstat and its progeny
Moore, M. H., & Braga, A. A. (2003) · Policing An International Journal · doi:10.1108/13639510310489485 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Does Increasing Ethnic Representativeness Reduce Police Misconduct?
Hong, S. (2016) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/puar.12629 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Police Leadership in America: Crisis and Opportunity
Geller, W. A. (1985) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Terrorist Threats and Police Performance: A Study of Israeli Communities
Weisburd, D. L., Hasisi, B., Jonathan-Zamir, T., & Aviv, G. (2009) · The British Journal of Criminology · doi:10.1093/bjc/azp064 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Designing State Clean Air Agencies: Administrative Procedures and Bureaucratic Autonomy
Potoski, M., & Woods, N. D. (2001) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jpart.a003499 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Depolicing: Rhetoric or Reality?
Oliver, W. M. (2015) · Criminal Justice Policy Review · doi:10.1177/0887403415586790 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Citizen oversight in the United States and Canada: an overview
Ferdik, F. V., Rojek, J., & Alpert, G. P. (2013) · Police Practice and Research · doi:10.1080/15614263.2013.767089 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Social Accountability and Institutional Change: The Case of Citizen Oversight of Police
Ali, M. U., & Pirog, M. A. (2019) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/puar.13055 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
The evolution of police oversight in Australia
Prenzler, T. (2011) · Policing & Society · doi:10.1080/10439463.2011.570866 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Workman-Stark, A. L. (2017) · Advanced sciences and technologies for security applications · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-53309-4_2 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
The Criminal Justice System Creates Incentives for False Convictions
Koppl, R. G., & Sacks, M. (2013) · Criminal Justice Ethics · doi:10.1080/0731129x.2013.817070 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
If You Build It, They Will Come: Consequences of Improved Citizen Complaint Review Procedures
WORRALL, J. L. (2002) · Crime & Delinquency · doi:10.1177/0011128702048003001 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Examining the Accountability-Performance Link: The Case of Citizen Oversight of Police
Ali, M. U., & Nicholson‐Crotty, S. (2020) · Public Performance & Management Review · doi:10.1080/15309576.2020.1806086 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Angelis, J. T. D. (2009) · Police Quarterly · doi:10.1177/1098611109332425 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Wilson, S., & Buckler, K. G. (2010) · American Journal of Criminal Justice · doi:10.1007/s12103-010-9079-x · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Wells, W., & Schafer, J. A. (2007) · Journal of Crime and Justice · doi:10.1080/0735648x.2007.9721233 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Investigative Resources and Crime Clearances: A Group-Based Trajectory Approach
WORRALL, J. L. (2016) · Criminal Justice Policy Review · doi:10.1177/0887403416650251 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS), 1993
United States Department Of Justice. Office Of Justice Programs. Bureau Of Justice Statistics (1996) · ICPSR Data Holdings · doi:10.3886/icpsr06708 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Kerstetter, W. A., & Rasinski, K. A. (1994) · Social Justice Research · doi:10.1007/bf02337294 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Social identity and intergroup relations.
Abrams, D. (2015) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/14342-008 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Introduction, NACOLE/ CJPR Special Issue
Hendrickson, K., & Olson, K. (2015) · Criminal Justice Policy Review · doi:10.1177/0887403415594844 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 51 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Does negative feedback on financial performance affect managerial turnover?
Yu, J., & Chen, X. (2025) · Public Management Review · doi:10.1080/14719037.2025.2456665 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Tao, J., & Collins, B. K. (2026) · Urban Affairs Review · doi:10.1177/10780874261423095 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Complaints about police misconduct have adverse effects for Black civilians
Kraft, P., & Newman, B. J. (2023) · Political Science Research and Methods · doi:10.1017/psrm.2023.49 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Does civilian oversight impact police legitimacy?
Schiff, K. J., Schiff, D. S., Moy, B. J., McCrain, J., Mourtgos, S. M., & Adams, I. T. (2025) · PNAS Nexus · doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf267 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Afonso, W. B. (2025) · The American Review of Public Administration · doi:10.1177/02750740251382142 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Latif, M. W., Dwilaksana, C., Nasri, N., & Wardana, G. (2024) · Jurist-Diction · doi:10.20473/jd.v7i2.49774
Arrested (Oversight) Development: Civilian Oversight, Law Enforcement, and Federalism
Farris, E. M., & Holman, M. R. (2025) · Urban Affairs Review · doi:10.1177/10780874251393671
- Authors
- Kim, J.
- Affiliations
- University at Albany, State University of New York (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kim, Jisang
- ORCID
- Kim, Jisang
- Venue
- The American Review of Public Administration
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2022-05-03
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 382-397
- ISSN
- 0275-0740 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-3357
- OpenAlex
- W4225420268
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 4.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The American Review of Public Administration (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Military and Defense Studies
- Keywords
- citizen oversight, police accountability, clearance rate, police discipline, accountability mechanisms, police-community relations
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
