Organization of the Policing Department
Write a paper in which you identify, compare, and contrast the policing function at the local, state, and federal organizational levels. Analyze how the organizational, management, administration, and operational functions at these three organizational levels are similar or different and why. Be sure to identify the leadership characteristics and responsibilities pertaining to each organizational level.
Organization of the Policing Department
In the majority of countries across the globe, the policing department is organized on a national level. The United States of America, however, defies the arrangement and has fragmented the department into three sections namely the federal, the state, and the local level police organization. One of the reasons behind the fragmentation in the US is based on the former days of the Republic Citizens who were afraid of the police force being controlled at the national level. The other reason was based on the belief by the American citizens that local problems can only be handled at the local level. The fragmentation gave rise to problems such as lack of uniformity in the policing department in terms of recruitment and management across the three levels. Another notable problem that arose was difficulties in communication and sharing of information across the various agencies which is also quite cumbersome.
Local policing agencies
The local policing department is made up of the local police, the sheriff’s department, the campus police the municipal, police, and the park police. In the United States, the majority of the policing agencies comprise of the local police and sheriff’s departments. The complexity of the policing department depends on the size of the city. The larger cities with a population of over 250, 000 residents the policing department is complex and highly structured with numerous divisions. About five of the cities in the states are made up of more than 5, 000 sworn officers. Three in every four police departments are composed of 25 officers and an average of about 60% of the total local police agencies comprise of less than 10 full-time police officers. More than 40,000 officers who work within the special police forces work in transportation systems, airports, public housing, colleges, among other areas (Banks et al., 2016).
The local police are charged with the responsibility of protecting the needs of the society such as ensuring that local patrols are made, controlling traffic, and responding to calls for service. They are responsible for maintaining order and security in schools and campuses whereby they watch over instances such as riots, drug and substance abuse, and any other violent activities. The policing culture in the various states gives room for the local officers doing field patrols to act independently without the need for consulting or supervision. Most of the duties tackle at eh local level by those in field patrol may not need any arrests hence eliminating the need for a physical office or making reports to supervisors.
State policing agencies.
The specialized police agencies perform at the state level. The US is made up of 66 state-level law enforcement agencies that are composed of the state police, highway patrol, and the state investigative agencies. The state departments designed between 1900 and 1930 were created to suppress the labor union organizations (Potter, 2013). The officers at the state level are responsible for responding to calls for service which are followed support from the investigative operations. The state-level officers are responsible for administrative work, training services, and technical duties within the law enforcement sector.
After the 9/11 attacks, the homeland security agencies were established and tasked with the responsibility of advising the legislature and the governor on issues related to security and threat assessment. They are also responsible for protecting the infrastructure and distribution of the DHS funds alongside training the local jurisdictions. It is after the attacks in 2001 that the state police assumed the responsibility of countering terror attacks in each of the states (Meese & Malcolm, 2017).
Federal policing agencies.
There are roughly about 100, 000 law enforcement officers serving full time at the federal level where about 60% serve in various sectors such as the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Customs Service (Banks et al., 2016). The department that serves at this level is responsible for handling security cases that are beyond state jurisdiction. The cases handled by the federal department affect several regions or the whole of America which creates the need for a more powerful security enforcement measure. Some of the agencies at the federal level include; the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Border Patrol and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives, and Firearms. The federal-level agencies are charged with the task to deal with matters related to drugs, weapon regulations, immigration services, and issues related to terrorism.
Similarities and differences
The three levels have to protect the rights of the American citizens as ensuring their safety. They are all responsible for making arrests where need be. They, however, differ when it comes to how the officers are hired. The local police are appointed by the city governments. The state police agencies comprise of political appointees as to their top management who are handpicked form experienced professionals. At the federal level, the appointment of top officials is made by the president.
Federal police agencies are governed by federal laws, those at the state level are governed by the laws and regulations their statutes of operations. The local police department are governed by the laws of the state governments that they operate in. Police departments in large cities have high levels of bureaucracy which in some way inhibits effective operations. One of the key challenges is that in such an environment, the personal growth and development of the police officers is inhibited. Secondly, mob psychology among the officers is exercised in that the group mentality confines their thinking into a box and prevents the possibility of coming up with innovative and creative ways of policing. The bureaucratic nature in the large city police department also may fail to recognize the presence of other organizations working towards maintaining safety.
Leadership Characteristics and responsibilities
A police officer has to have technical skills for them to thrive in the American law enforcement department. The officers must possess both knowledge and analytical capacity to make use of the tools and techniques set in place for task performance. The ability to empathize with people and to be diverse is a requirement given the different backgrounds of people they have to serve (Giblin, 2016).
There are three major positions in policing comprising of the CEOs, middle-level managers, and the supervisor. The CEOs have to oversee the entire organization and ensure a smooth running of the operations in the entire policing fraternity. They communicate the vision of the organization and ensure that the vision is translated into action by the management team. The middle-level managers who are made of lieutenants and captains are a bridge between the CEOs and the junior police officers (Giblin, 2016). They use their powers to ensure that subordinates are well enabled to confront and solve issues creatively and actively. Through training, they reinforce competence among the junior officers.
Conclusion
Currently, law enforcement in the US is made up of local, state, and federal agencies that work together with other security service providers. Over one million people are recruited in the police department which shows how the law enforcement agencies are invested in maintaining safety and protecting the society. The three levels work together to control, deter, and fight crime where in some situations, each agency may have to work independently from the other. The federal, state and the local policing organizations are governed by a stipulated set of rules, responsibilities, and procedures.
References
Banks, D., Hendrix, J., Hickman, M., & Kyckelhahn, T. (2016). National Sources for Law Enforcement Employment Data. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Giblin, M. J. (2016). Leadership and management in police organizations. SAGE Publications.
Meese III, E., & Malcolm, J. (2017). Policing in America: Lessons from the past, opportunities for the future. Policing in America: Lessons from the Past, Opportunities for the Future, 1.
Potter, G. (2013). The history of policing in the United States. Retrieved from.
