Issues Pertaining to Police Administration - Research Paper Example

Issues Pertaining to Police Administration Modern day police administration must be designed in a manner that addresses emergent 21st century problems. This is because the 21st challenges present unique challenges that did not exist in the previous era. This introduces a salient need of developing effective management strategies aimed at addressing the emerging issues. Notably, the police is an organization on its own and must have management systems in its highest levels if the administration is to be effective. There must be adequate control by those holding administrative positions if the organization is to function effectively. Police administration in the traditional setting was done in a completely different way. Although the roles of the police may not have changed, they are viewed from different perspectives in the modern day. A close analysis of traditional police administration and modern day police administration reveals multiple differences. It is evident that the organization has made strides in adopting effective management strategies in an effort to ensure the functionality of the organization. A comparison of the traditional police administration and the modern day administration can serve to highlight the changes that have occurred in the organization. Introduction The role of the police in any society has received a measure of emphasis. With such a critical role to play, police organizations have to graze themselves for the roles that await them. Unlike in the traditional setting, police organizations have adopted modern management models in a bid to increase the efficiency of the police organizations. A closer look at the traditional administration reveals that they were highly wanting. Critics were keen to highlight some of the main issues that needed to be addressed if police organizations were to become better. There is an evident difference in the modern day police administration and the type of administration that existed in the 1950s. The police organizations of the 21st century have been seeking to adopt strategies that can address the emerging problems. The 21st century brought about new challenges and led to increased expectations of the public from the police. If police organizations are to maintain their integrity, and have a good track record, and successfully handle their roles, effective management is critical. The book titled, ‘Police Administration’ by Gary Cordner, some issues that are critical in the police administration have been highlighted. In the fourth part of the book, which covers chapter 11 to 15, there is a comprehensive discussion of the strategic management perspective required in the police organizations. Based on the discussion in these chapters, this paper will compare and contrast traditional police administration with the modern day administration (Cordner, 2013). Before addressing the differences between the traditional police administration and the modern day administration, it is critical to highlight factors that have compelled the police organizations to adopt new management strategies. One of the critical roles played by the police is law enforcement. Evidently, police practices defining this role have been changing over time. Practices that were given emphasis in the 1950s do not present any relevance in the modern day. The laws have also changed over time. There has been an emphasis on the adoption of technology in police organizations. The role of technology cannot be underestimated. In a globe converted to a small village by technology, it will be inappropriate for police organizations do not embrace technology (Wuestewald & Steinheider, 2012). Criminals have also exhibited new strategies and depict a high level of sophistication with the aid of technology. More than any other time, there is an increasing pressure for the police departments to deliver. The public has bestowed high expectations upon the police and this places pressure upon them to register a measure of efficiency. These factors have necessitated the adoption of effective management strategies. Several issues will be highlighted in this paper that will be used as comparison criteria between the traditional police administration and the modern day administration (Cordner, 2013). Communication in the Police Organization In the traditional setting, police organizations relied on the downward communication model, which allowed the movement of commands from the highest office down to the lowest level. In an era where police hierarchies were regarded highly, this model presented certain challenges (Wuestewald & Steinheider, 2012). It later resulted in the disintegrated communication in police organizations. The pressure to adhere to the formal chain of command placed barriers for the adoption of other communication modes. For many years, police organizations relied on such a downward model of communication. An upwards communication only occurred when officers were required to give feedback concerning their projects. A close analysis of the police roles reveals the evident need of the effective communication (Cordner, 2013). The police departments are tasked with supervisory, administrative strategies or policy development responsibilities. It has proven difficult for these responsibilities for these responsibilities to be effectively collaborated without the effective communication networks. This has introduced the need for adoption of new communication models in the modern day police administration. There is evidence that the modern police organizations have been more receptive of various communication models and have sought to apply them in different situations in accordance with the modern police administration. Although the police organizations have not fully embraced the effective communication network, there is a measure of improvement from what existed in the traditional setting. Police officers can ascertain that modern day administrators focus on effective communication than in the decades before (Wuestewald & Steinheider, 2012). Although the formal chain of commands still exists, other communication models have introduced different levels of communication between police officers and their administrators as well as lateral communication between the officers at the same level. The modern day police administration has registered a level of success in implementing effective communication. However, there are still evident challenges regarding communication that will need to be addressed in the future (Wuestewald & Steinheider, 2012). Police Performance Evaluation The evaluation of the police performance has emerged as one of the critical aspects that can be used to assess the efficiency of the police. There is a need for regular evaluation of performance so that administrators, the public, and the political leaders can have a better understanding of the level of efficiency depicted by the police officers. Notably, each police department has a set of predetermined standards and should strive to meet such standards. Such standards define the expected level of discipline to be exhibited by the police departments. In addition, it defines measurements that can be used to assess performance in different aspects. Evaluation of police performance is critical because it serves to highlight the strengths and the weaknesses of the police departments. It is unfortunate that the traditional setting made little efforts towards this aspect of evolution of the police performance. Although standards still existed, there were no strategies of establishing whether the performance of the police conformed to the existing standards. This explains why there was an evident gap between the standards expected and what the police delivered (Steinheider, Wuestewald, & Bayerl, 2006). Lack of effective police performance evaluation in the traditional administration led to multiple challenges in police organizations. The organization had numerous problems related to poor performance, but they were unable to present a conclusive assessment of the situation. As the police administration seeks to adopt the modern strategies, they have embraced performance evaluation as a critical aspect. All the levels of the police departments have in place processes of assessing performance. Some of the assessment processes focus on the individual performance while others consider the collective performance of the police units (Steinheider, Wuestewald, & Bayerl, 2006). Police organizations have been making efforts in the modern day to carry out effective evaluation and define achievable goals based on the assessment findings. Unlike in the traditional police administration where a few administrators were conversant with the need for evolution, many administrators in the modern day are well aware of the critical value of successful evaluation. They are familiar with assessment models and have been using them regularly. Although there are still challenges with evaluation that need to be addressed, it is evident that the modern day police administration exhibits values for effective evaluation. If improvements are made from what is existing in the modern day, police organizations can be able to carry out a more defined assessment and evaluation in the future (Steinheider, Wuestewald, & Bayerl, 2006). The Police Strategies and Tactics Since the role of a police department is critical, administrators often develop strategies and tactics that can help the police achieve their objectives. Since the role of the police does not include a single activity, but is rather defined by multiple activities, police departments face the pressure of developing numerous strategies and tactics suited for the different activities. In the traditional police administration, a few strategies and tactics did exist. However, such strategies and tactics only conformed to police needs during that time. Despite that, they did not prove to be effective. This is the reason why police departments faced numerous challenges in achieving their objectives and goals. In many cases, criminals seem to have better strategies than the police, a factor that explains why crime rates were soaring during some eras in the past. The modern day police administration has been keen to place emphasis on the need for more effective and modern strategies as well as the tactics. Some of the strategies that have been developed include crime control strategies, preventive strategies, immediate day to calls and emergencies, new detective strategies follow up investigations, and refinements (Cordner, 2013). In the definition of the police practices, each of these strategies are clearly defined and the factors surrounding the application well described. In order to achieve these strategies, the police administration has been keen on integrating technological innovations into the existing strategies. In the modern day, police departments are more equipped to handle their tasks since they have been trained on these strategies and tactics. It is not yet time to say that the police have effective strategies. However, it is no doubt that there are different perspectives and approaches used in the development of strategies in the modern day that were nonexistent in the past. This distinguishes the modern day police administration as more advanced and aware of the need for adoption of effective management strategies (Cordner, 2013). Problem Oriented Policing Problem oriented policing refers to a new approach adopted by the police departments in ensuring that their focus is the identification of problems and the development of strategies that can address such problems. Although police departments are tasked with the issue related to crime, they have the responsibility of ensuring that they understand the problems related to crimes. In their daily activities, they are bombarded by numerous incidents. The approach of the problem oriented policing places emphasis on the need to develop a special focus on the problem resulting in crime, and not on the incidents (Cordner, 2013). Problem oriented policing places emphasis on the need for police administrators focus on problem solving by identifying the causes of crime. A special focus on the problems means that the police departments need to undertake research to identify the salient problems. In the traditional setting, police administrators were more focused on incidents that problems. This is the reason why the police were tasked with a role that required them to address each reported incident. Although this approach handled each single incident independently, it had its limitations. Traditional police administration was unable to address the causes of crime (Ortmeier & Davis, n.d). However, modern day policing and administration places emphasis on the use of this approach. The police are more inclined to understand the real causes of crime instead of identifying different incidents. Worth noting is the fact that traditional policing relied on approaches such as routine preventive patrols, response to calls and follow up investigations. Through the application of the problem oriented policing, police administrators have realized that law enforcement is only an avenue of policing. There is more required if this responsibility is to be tackled adequately. The problem oriented approach motivates the police departments to develop systems of identifying the problems and strategies of addressing them. In the modern day policing, the problem oriented approach adopted by the administrators depicts the level of efforts exhibited by administration systems to ensure the police efficiency (Ortmeier & Davis, n.d). The Preparedness Cycle The preparedness cycle is defined by four critical processes. These include prevention, protection, response and recovery. Since it is a cycle, the success in each of the four processes is likely to determine the outcome in the others. Emphasis is placed on planning, offering training, performance, and the overall potential in the four different processes. In order to make the preparedness cycle more effective, police administration has incorporated intelligence collection, developed databases for sharing information, planning of local response, offering training and empowerment to the fast responders, recognition of the required resources and the establishment of mutual agreements within the organization. This aspect is comprehensive in nature and is one of the identifying factors of the modern day police administration. This cycle has been developed in response to the need for police organization to be more prepared to handle emerging threats such as terrorism. In the traditional police administration, little attention was given the preparedness cycle (Ortmeier & Davis, n.d). Many administrators did not have the awareness that this cycle is of critical importance in police departments. It has been developed as a modern day strategy of increasing the efficiency of the police departments. Strategic Management Strategic management is one of the aspects that has received emphasis I different fields in the modern day, many researchers have focused on describing the procedures, processes, benefits as well as the challenges related to the strategic management when applied in an organization. Evidently, the police organization has been challenged to embrace strategic management as one of the critical aspects that can ensure its functionality presents deficiency. Strategic management did not exist in the traditional (Moore, 2004). There was no provision for administrators to indulge in an active process of defining the best action plan of achieving their goals and objectives. Many administrators relied on action plans that had been applied in the past without considering their efficiency to their present situation. Lack of strategic management is one of the aspects that contributed to failure in traditional police administration. With emerging roles of the police department, coupled with the high expectations from the public, police organizations in the modern day have sought to adopt the strategic management as a core aspect of ensuring efficient functionality (Magers, 2004). Many police administrators are now tasked with the role of analyzing the current situations and problems, brainstorming possible remedies or solutions, assessing the strengths and the weaknesses of the alternative solutions, and critical decision making which determines the best action plan as well as the best solution for the problems. After the best action plan is identified, administrators have to ensure that there is effective implementation of the developed strategies within the organization (Cordner, 2013). In the traditional setting of the police administration, administrators relied on professional crime fighting. This involved emphasis on the role of the police in crime control, law enforcement as well as professional standards (Moore, 2004). The administrators relied on traditional tactics of ensuring that there was motorized patrol follow-up investigation and efforts of rapid response. In professional crime fighting, police administrators and executives handled their tasks independently without any consultations. They considered the police officers as trained professionals who had exhibited professionalism in accordance with the established standards (Magers, 2004). Although the focus on professionalism in crime fighting was thought of as an effective approach, it did not prove to be effective. This is the reason why the modern day police administrators prefer the strategic crime approach. This approach does not rely on traditional police tactic, which have proven to be less effective. Whereas the traditional tactics focused on the street crimes, the new approach adopts a diverse focus on different types of crimes. It prefers to use targeted techniques, which have the potential to present numerous benefits. Some of the targeted techniques include direct patrol, repeat offender programs, differential responses as well as the case screening (Moore, 2004). The strategic crime fighting approach seeks to address organized crime, drug trafficking, cyber crimes and other emerging crimes in the 21st century. It is defined as the smart way to handle policing in a century defined by multiple crimes (Magers, 2004). Community Policing Traditional police administration did not define any role in the community to participate in the policing endeavors. Traditional strategies focused on overburdening the police with all the responsibilities involved in crime control. However, in the modern day police administration, it emerges that it is unrealistic for police executives to expect the police officers to carry out crime control effectively on their own. This has brought forth the idea that police officers need to work in conjunction with both communities and individuals in policing ventures. Different members of the society may cooperate with the police in processes such as crime identification, priority setting and resolving problems (Cordner, 2013). Police officers are required to be more focused on communicates and individuals. They are working within the defined geographical regions so that they can study the region identify its problems and cooperate with the community to define solutions. Community policing has been emphasized by the police administrators in the modern day and has produced numerous benefits compared to the traditional tactics (Dempsey & Forst, 2010). Intelligence-led Policing and Emotional Intelligence Both of these aspects define modern strategies adopted by the police administrators. However, they were nonexistent in the traditional setting. Intelligence-led policing focuses on ensuring that the police resources are mobilized in accordance with updates on the recent crime, potential threats and vulnerabilities. On the other hand, the modern police administrators are striving to ensure that they develop skills of quality leadership (Dempsey & Forst, 2010). This is accordance with the emotional intelligence model, which requires the leaders to register a higher level of self awareness and the awareness of the needs of the others. Adopting the Learning Organization In traditional police administration, learning systems did not exist within the police administration. However, the modern day police administrator has recognized the value of incorporating the learning systems in a bid to empower all the individuals in the police organization. This learning systems include, but are not limited to, team learning, research and development, critical thinking, developing new models of problem solving, evaluation of performance, and adopting new research partnerships. These define the existing learning within the police organization put in place by administrators as an effective modern day strategy (Dempsey & Forst, 2010). Servant Leadership In the traditional setting, police administrators relied on the transactional leadership styles. This type of leadership only served to develop bureaucrats in the police organizations. In the modern day, these types of leadership have been replaced by new leadership models such as protective leadership, and transformational leadership models. Therefore, police executives have adopted new attitudes and practices related to leadership. Without doubt, there have been efforts towards the servant leadership (Dempsey & Forst, 2010). Conclusion As described above, it emerges that, the modern day police administration is a different system compared to what existed in the traditional setting. Although the role of the police has remained that of law enforcement, crime control and prevention, the 21st century challenges have introduced new perspectives into this role. Moreover, law has been evolving over the years and criminal have adopted new strategies. These factors have placed a salient need for police administrators to adopt new management strategies in a bid to maintain a positive reputation of the police department. This is the reason why numerous changes have been registered in the modern day policing as has been described above. References Cordner, G. W. (2013). Police administration.South Wales: Newnes. Dempsey, J. S., &Forst, L. S. (2010). An introduction to policing.Australia: Delmar Cengage Learning. Magers, J. S. (2004).Compstat: A New Paradigm for Policing or a Repudiation of Community Policing?.Journal Of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 20(1), 70. doi:10.1177/1043986203262312 Moore, M. H. (2004). The Strategic Management of the Police.Harvard Business Review, 69(3), 122-123. Ortmeier, P. J., & Davis, J. J. (n.d).Police administration : a leadership approach / P. J. Ortmeier, Joseph J. Davis. New York : McGraw-Hill, 2012. Steinheider, B., Wuestewald, T., &Bayerl, P. (2006).When twelve heads are better than one: implementing a shared leadership concept in a police agency.Academy Of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, L1-L6. doi:10.5465/AMBPP.2006.27169161 Wuestewald, T., &Steinheider, B. (2012).Police managerial perceptions of organizational democracy: a matter of style and substance.Police Practice & Research, 13(1), 44-58. doi:10.1080/15614263.2011.589568 Read More