Exploring the complex and controversial topic of civilian oversight of police, this book analyzes the issues and debates entailed by civilian oversight by using worldwide perspectives, in-depth case studies, and a wealth of survey data.

Section 1 :Setting the context : -- Scandal, inquiry, and reform : the evolving locus of responsibility for police integrity / Tim Prenzler -- Independent minded : the role and status of 'independence' in the investigation of police complaints / Stephen P. Savage -- Stakeholder perspectives on complaints against police : Democratic Policint, public opinion, and external oversight / Tim Prenzler -- Complainants' view of police complaint systems : the gap between aspiration and experience / Louise Porter and Tim Prenzler -- Police views on processing complaints against police / Tim Prnzler -- Section 3 : Regional, national, and jurisdictional accounts of external oversight : -- Civilian oversight of police in Africa: trends and challenges / Julie Berg and Simon Howell -- Police accountability and citizen oversight in emerging democracies in Asia / Mahesh K. Nalla -- The interface between human rights and police complaints in Europe / Graham Smith - -- Citizen oversight in the United States and Canada : applying outcome measures and evidence-based concepts / Geoffrey P. Alpert, Tyler Cawthray, Jeff Rojek, and Frank Ferdik -- Section 4 : Police professional standards units and external oversight agencies : can there be productiove collaboration? Toward a model system.' / Louise Porter -- Managing police conduct: finding the ideal division of labor between internal and external processes / Tim Prenzler.