The historic decrease in the crime rate reported within many U.S. cities during the past decade provides an opportunity to determine if police officers would rank other stressors higher when the ubiquitous crime factor is proportionally minimized. This study tests the assumption that law enforcement officers would experience lower levels of stress during an extended period of relatively low crime rates and predominantly report external, non-crime related factors as primary stressors. Stressor sources were measured from a sample of 1,022 police officers within a major northeastern U.S. city during an era of significantly declining crime rates. A description and mean ranking of organizational, job-related, and external stressors were presented for the sample, as were representative ranges of job tenure, rank, gender, race, work shift, and assignment areas. The results indicated generally moderate levels of stress and some distinctions in the variable categories while affirming the significance of select stressors identified within the literature.

IntroductionThe significant decrease in crime in America's cities has led researchers, police and the general public to question why this lower crime rate has occurred. While many look to tougher law enforcement and a real decrease in the number of serious (UCR Part One) offences, little attention has been paid to the way police record official crime statistics (Dilulio, 1995, p. 2). The analysis of official crime statistics has long been difficult for researchers. The lack of access to data has been identified most often at the root of this problem (Skogan, 1975, p. 18). Researchers gaining access to official crime statistics found their task daunting due to the inability to measure crime rates in an effective way.At the same time, a number of factors have made it difficult for police officials to produce crime statistics. A growing number of requests for service have placed an additional burden on police officials. The ability of call-takers to respond effectively to citizen requests has been called into question (Paternoster et al., 1997, p. 5).As a result, computer-aided despatch systems, the backbone of police response, are being asked to do much more than in the past. Police agencies argue that these demands are straining the ability of police information management officials to serve internal needs, much less external requests [1].Over time, a significant body of knowledge on the reporting of crime to police agencies has developed, particularly with respect to the production of crime rates. Factors such as demography, economics, race, political influence, and the law have all been associated with the causes of crime (Baldwin, 1979, p. 57). These factors are important because they provide an understanding of the environment in which crime and crime rates are generated (Burcar and Wilson, 1983, p. 93).Much less research exists on the factors which influence police agencies in the classification process and the consequent production of crime statistics [2]. In a seminal study on how police agencies classify reported crime, Black (1970) found that police agencies viewed reduced crime rates as an end, considerably more important than crime suppression ( p. 734). Black argued that police agencies are very likely to change crime recording procedures or more ominously "cook the books" to reduce crime rates. For example, New York's

The courts have found that Internet commerce is similar to interstate commerce in that it is largely exempt from taxation. Nonetheless, many state governments are attempting to tax the Internet broadly, levying transactions that would otherwise be considered nontaxable under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and related interstate commerce statutes. This investigation assesses the current status of the taxation of Internet commerce and seeks to identify the factors that are associated with how states apply taxes to Internet commerce. Although a number of demographic, fiscal, and state organizational factors are associated with the application of taxes on Internet commerce, few of the relationships are strong enough to merit further attention. Moreover, recommendations are made to Congress, governors, and legislatures regarding how they may ensure that laws and programs designed to regulate the collection of Internet taxes are implemented in the fairest and least disruptive manner possible.

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Although many have explored the impact of technology on police agencies, less attention has been paid to the factors regarding a decision to acquire new technology. This article examines the process of selecting computer-aided dispatch systems in large municipal police agencies. Specifically, it examines the experiences of the Boston Police Department in selecting a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system operationalized on June 7, 1994. The influence of stakeholder groups, including politicians, administrators, and the department, is considered. Department staff members are interviewed to determine whether they believe that the CAD acquisition has made a difference after 5 years of operation. Finally, a series of recommendations regarding the selection of a CAD system is presented.