How do police forces around the world move toward democratization of their operations and responses? Analyzing police forces from 12 different countries, Comparative Policing: The Struggle for Democratization assesses the stages of each country based on the author's development of a "Continuum of Democracy" scale.

Using five basic themes, this book uses the following criteria to rank and evaluate where each country falls on the continuum, clarifying how policing practices differ:

· History of a democratic form of government

· Level of corruption within governmental organizations and the oversight mechanisms in place

· Scope of and response to civil disobedience

· Organization structures of police departments

· Operational responses to terrorism and organized crime