In view of the case study above, the police department of Junction City is teeming with a lot of complaints from residents of Junction City. There are enough convincing reasons that drive us to consider altering the practices and policies of the police department of Junction City. This is because the face of crime and violence has changed as well as the community around the police department of Junction City. Consequently, we need to address these frequent and long-term factors that are responsible for crime and violence and come up with a long-term solution.
Question 1
There is a likelihood that problems are likely to be experienced if traditional-thinking officers and supervisors continue working in the police department of Junction City. This is because their approach to problems is likely to be based on the traditional approaches. The strategies that they used in the past may not be highly effective especially in solving problems that require new and innovative approaches. In addition, they are also likely to resist change. The strategies that worked in the past will not be as effective as they should be because of the following reasons. The Hispanic population of Junction City is changing rapidly. With the insurgence of immigrants, while adding to the diverse nature of the Hispanics, often have ulterior motives and interests. Also, the close-knit social structure that was there in the past has changed. Parents no longer spend time with their children, and social institutions like churches and schools are unable to fill this parental gap.
In light of this, therefore, the traditional- thinking officers and supervisors need training on new approaches to enable them manage these pertinent issues. One such method is community policing, where the people join the police force, and work together to solve crimes (Peak, 2010). I will also be open to new suggestions even if they differ from my point of view. Listening to different points of view is advantageous in that they provide insight into the problems we face, we will, therefore, be equipped with the information we need to deal with such situations.
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Question 2
This police department needs total reorganization. To do this, I will need to use the seven elements of police organizational structure. These elements include functional, occupational, spatial, and vertical differentiation, centralization, formalization, and administrative intensity. These elements need to work in tandem with the COPPS strategy if impressive results are to be realized. COPPS strategy refers to Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving. In view of Junction City’s police department case, centralization is a crucial element. Decisions should be centralized to make issuing of orders easy from the top of the organizational hierarchy. The police officers will, therefore, go beyond their normal duties of arresting criminals, and reporting accidents to promoting order, resolve disputes, and giving emergency assistance. Under the centralized leadership, the officers will report to other municipal agencies and marshal communities. The next method is functional differentiation; this will enable the breaking down of every department into manageable units. Reorganization is a significant step as this will help avoid over crowding, and to create space for people to work properly.
Question 3
Under the COPPS strategy, i anticipate that the workload of the officers will reduce. The COPPS strategy works in a way that problem solving becomes easier. A critical element of the COPPS strategy is that problem-solving is based on the crime patterns and factors that contribute to such crimes presented. Their work will also be lessened because they will be working on stopping crime before it happens, and not after they have already occurred. The community joins the police department, and attaining a safe; better place to live becomes achievable. When ownership, decision making, and accountability are shared, just as the COPPS strategy stipulates, then responsibility is also shared. This will take the burden off the officers, and their morale will improve.
Question 4
The efforts aimed at improving the Police Department of Junction City should be monitored. Community policing aims at reducing the rate of crime. Community surveys are the best method to use in evaluating the progress of community policing. Community surveys are extremely reliable as they provide information on how the police department of police is doing from the point of view of the citizens. Such surveys go beyond the conventional methods of arrests, workload, and offenses. It is also effective because a complete measure of success includes asking the community members.
In conclusion, if we take the above measures into consideration, then we will have a complete overhaul of the police department of Junction City. This will effectively phase out criminal activities in this city and restore public trust to the Police Department once again.
