This article discusses the use of multiwave establishment surveys of American police organizations. It presents a definition and brief history of this set of methodologies, then discusses some of the well-known surveys within this genre. The essential elements of each survey are described, including sponsorship, sampling, methods of administration, item content, and contribution to knowledge about policing. The article concludes with some general impressions about these surveys, some of the useful lessons that might be learned from their use, and some suggestions for how they might be used to expand the present body of knowledge about policing.
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