Police chief turnover in Texas: Do institutional environments matter?

Authors

Yudu Li, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2025

Abstract

The field of organizational studies has extensively examined factors influencing the turnover and succession of public officers, yet limited attention has been given to chiefs of police. Using institutional theory as a framework, this study explores police chief turnover by focusing on the institutional environment and the relationships between police chiefs and key individuals and entities within their communities. Utilizing survey data collected from police chiefs attending mandatory training programs designed for new appointees, the analysis reveals that police chief turnover is substantially associated with the quality of relationships with key stakeholders within the institutional environments, both individually and collectively. In addition, control variables such as police performance, appointment path, tenure length, agency size, and municipal structure were analyzed. Policy implications are discussed.

Comments

© The Author(s) 2025. Under CC BY-NC 4.0

Recommended Citation

Li, Yudu. "Police chief turnover in Texas: Do institutional environments matter?." International Journal of Police Science & Management 27, no. 3 (2025): 329-338. https://doi.org/10.1177/14613557251325683

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Publication Title

International Journal of Police Science & Management

DOI

10.1177/14613557251325683