Police in Society Essay

The police department and the police force in general, have the power and duty at all times of the day and night to ensure that the lives of people is protected as well as property (Bayley D, 1979, 109-143). This is done through preventing crime, detect and arrest offenders, preserve the public peace as well as enforce all laws, ordinances and provisions of the administrative code over which the police department has jurisdiction. The crime-control theory suggests that police department develops in reaction to rise in criminal activity (Bayley D, 1979, 109-143). Thus, the structure in metropolis police department should have few levels with a wide span of control. Decision-making should be the task of lower-level personnel (Greene et al, 1992. 183-207). The structure should involve a police Chief, assisted by two deputies, two patrol Lieutenants, two administrative and Investigative Lieutenant, four four-person patrol platoons with a Sergeant and Corporal in each platoon, a Sergeant of Detectives and four detectives for all investigations, and as well as two to two-man bike patrols. While police leadership has many challenges, the police chief should offer transformational leadership essential to produce cultural changes in the attitudes and beliefs of the line officers. He has to be principled in order to get extraordinary things done in this organization. He should be willing and ready to challenge any process (Kouzes & Posner, 1987. 17-94). Thus, he should take risks, challenge the system, and challenge the way things are done. He should also inspire a shared vision to his subordinates by breathing life into what are the hopes and dreams of others and enable them to see the exciting possibilities that the future holds (Kouzes & Posner, 1987. 17-94). In doing so, the police chief should enlist the support of all those who are necessary to get results, as well as those who will be affected by the results in this case the public at large. Through encouraging collaboration and teamwork makes it possible for the subordinates to do good work (Kouzes & Posner, 1987. 7-94). Envisaging that Metropolis is a diverse and dynamic as any community in the world, it requires continuity and stability in certain basic areas of life, in particular the areas of safety and security. It crucial to note that the key to offering continuous safety and security is to have police department guided by a clear and unwavering philosophy by which to guide the determination of priorities and decisions in policing. The entire Police Department, encompassing every sworn officer as well as civilian member, and all associated City officials, suppliers, vendors, and other stakeholders in its mission, should focus their full on-duty attention to meeting and satisfying the safety and security needs of Metropolis urban city. To achieve this, the community requires both swift police response to crime and disorder, in addition to crime prevention and problem solving utilizing the latest technologies. In so doing both approaches should be utilized with intelligence to achieve a comprehensive networking approach that serves the community in a balanced manner. Thus, the major mission of metropolis Police Department should be to safeguard the lives and property of the people they serve, to decrease the incidence and fear of crime, and to enhance public safety at the same time as working with the diverse communities to improve their quality of life. This should be done with honor and integrity, while at all times conducting themselves with the highest ethical standards to maintain public confidence (Greene et al, 1992. 183-207). Hiring standards Most Police departments in cities face what some call a personnel crisis, with the number of recruits at record lows, an increasing number of experienced officers turn down promotions to sergeant or lieutenant, while many gifted senior officers decline offers to become police chiefs as well as police executive. Recruits pre-employment background should be ascertained before being taken in, in the department. The purpose of a pre-employment background investigation shall be to rapidly, competently as well as fairly to make out those applicants who are unfit for public service or whose prior conduct is contradictory to, or incompatible with, the law enforcement mission. No selection standard of the department shall be in conflict with, or contrary to, the spirit or letter of fair employment laws of the State. However, any applicant who has ever been convicted of any offense declared by law to be a felony in this or any other state shall not be eligible for employment with the department. Same standard shall apply to misdemeanor offenses, save that the applicant should not have been convicted within the past three years of any criminal offense declared by law to be a misdemeanor in this or any other state. The urban center being hard hit with the problem of drugs, a person who is a current user of illegal drugs shall not be eligible for employment with the department. Drugs in this case should be taken to imply the controlled substances in accordance with the state’s provisions. The first step in the selection procedure is recruitment. Having a number of applicants, we must select those that are best fitting for the department. The department must have a number of minimum standards to employ in measuring the applicants. Issues of age, height and weight, physical agility and strength, and education should be taken into account. These applicants should be subjected to background investigations, which comprises of previous drug use. They should take polygraph examination, psychological screening as well as meet medical requirements (Goldsmith 1990, 91-114). In addition to the above, the candidates will be required to take a written examination as well as an oral interview. The last step will be to train them once they have been chosen. The training should take account of programs that include the department’s mission statement in addition to ethical considerations. The training should also be based upon what the officer does in the course of a day. The actual content of the training should include subject areas such as the laws of arrest, patrol techniques, investigations, cultural diversity, and ethics. Upon completing the training, the new recruit police officer will begin his or her field training. This will comprise assignment to a field-training officer who acts as a mentor for him/her. The new officer remains in probation for a certain period before beginning his or her career path. This path may embrace advanced training to stay put with the changes in the law. The officers will be entitled to specialized training to prepare them for specific jobs in the department. Policing philosophy The philosophy of metropolis police department shall be based on the belief that the public deserves an input into policing, and indeed, has a right to it. It will also rest on the vision that in order to find solutions to community problem of growing drug in the neighborhood, the police as well as the public must move beyond a narrow focus on individual crimes or incidents, and instead consider innovative ways of addressing drug issue concerns in general. Bonds of trust between all officers and the community in all aspects need to be established through continued and creative police outreach (Freeman, 1990. 19-109). The net effect will be to build a professional, representative, responsive, and answerable institution that works in affiliation with the public (Goldsmith 1990, 91-114). In an attempt to solve the public’s problem, the department will identify the specific concerns that the Metropolis inhabitants feel are most threatening to their safety and well-being, in this particular case ‘drugs’. This area of concern then shall become priority for joint police-community interventions. The officers and a variety of building members then will outline problem-solving partnerships to develop responses that they can both use to eliminate or minimize the problem (Freeman, 1990. 19-109). Technologies The department should have police cars, upgraded to the specifications required by the force, built to police specifications in the factory. These cars should be modified to encompass adjustments for higher durability, speed, and high mileage driving in addition to long periods of idling at higher temperatures. This is accomplished by heavy-duty suspension, brakes, calibrated speedometer, tires, alternator, transmission and cooling systems. Where possible, slight modifications to the car’s stock engine should be done if not installation of a more powerful engine. These cars are to be employed in patrolling the area round the clock. The department can employ Global-positioning system to track those convicted with drug related offences so as to help deter future recidivism. In addition the police force can make broad use of radio communications equipment, carried both on the person and installed in vehicles, to co-ordinate their work, share information as well as get help quickly (Walker, 2005. 5). Presently, vehicle-installed computers have increased the ability of police communications, enabling easier dispatching of calls in addition to criminal background checks on persons of interest. Metropolis Police Department should have similar technologies in their patrol vehicles.