Police institutions in the face of the pandemic: Sensemaking, leadership, and discretion

Abstract

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic is emerging as one of the greatest recent challenges facing humanity. The police forces are at the front line, among the public institutions specially activated in this emergency. Based on police forces’ organizational and professional characteristics, this study discusses strategies to deal with the pandemic through the development of new organizational skills that allow them to change their operating logic from “war against crime” to humanitarian actions. The research points out the need for systemic coordination of police bodies, both among themselves and in the set of other coping measures. In these terms, from the analysis of different experiences, it is proposed to form inter-organizational coordination based on the creation of linguistic and material elements, with the sharing of strategic maps and informational plans. In conclusion, the review of police performance protocols in public health emergencies, including the Public Health Emergency Response Plan of the Ministry of Health, has the capacity to improve its response in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.