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10 Am. J. Police 125 (1991)
Symbolic Communication: Signifying Calls and the Police Response

handle is hein.journals/ajpol10 and id is 237 raw text is: American Journal of Police Vol. 10 No. 2 1991 125 In summary, the strength of this work lies in the author's compre- hensive review of the subject, his use of comparative material, and the clarity of his analysis of the societal and theoretical issues relating to the growth and expansion of private security. South's critique not only presents serious issues for us to ponder but it also suggests a thoughtful response to these issues. Policing For Profit is an important contribu- tion to private security research that should enhance the debate sur- rounding this area of social control. It is appropriate reading for any- one interested in the analysis of the forces of societal order and control as well as the preservation of individual freedom and justice. The reader of this work will achieve a deeper understanding of the implica- tions private security has for modem social control and the policing of society. William F. Walsh The Pennsylvania State University Symbolic Communication: Signifying Calls and the Police Response By Peter K. Manning MJ.T. Press, 1989. Symbolic Communication is a treatise on why and how members of police organizations interpret their environment. In typical Manning style, the reader is introduced to the meaning of a call to the police and how it is transformed as it moves across and through the sub-systems within an organization. Professor Manning's research on how police respond to calls for service has resulted in a detailed and valuable monograph. Symbolic Communication, in painstaking detail, analyzes the influences of the actors and organizations on the meaning of the call and the determination of necessary action. As one would expect, Professor Manning concludes that the meaning in organizational com- munication is constructed socially. It is apparent that Symbolic Communication represents a progres- sion of Peter Manning's thoughtful and thorough approach to the study of police. In fact, the reader is informed that this volume continues the work began in Police Work (1977) and continued in Narc's Game (1980). The common theme contained in each is the organizational and