Roles and Functions of Police Departments
Functionality in a police department is the strong-hold of its operations. All departments must work hand-in-hand in order for the entire operation to be fulfilled. Some departments may have the funds and personnel to function with multiple people with specific tasks as opposed to the small less financially fortunate department. It all comes down to the department’s role in society as it applies to their organization.
Law enforcement agencies serve the community in the form of enforcing the laws written by the legislature. They protect the people, prevent crime, and protect civil rights and liberties. The laws written by the legislature are ever changing and adapting to the world we live in. The law enforcement agencies carry out these laws with enforcement and judicial side handles those individuals that have broken these laws. Law enforcement agencies have multiple functions and sizes depending on geographical size and the population of the city/ county. The roles in a county agency may differ from a city or municipal agency. Counties have to cover larger geographical areas as compared to the municipal or city agency that is only responsible for the incorporated areas. The agency with greater availability to financial support is the agency that has the means to devise a team to focus on certain crime areas. All departments regardless of size must have someone at the top of the rank structure. A police department operates much like the military in which structure and chain of command is implemented. Quasi-military is a term used to describe the rank structure of today’s police departments (Grant and Terry 2012). From the bottom to the top of the r...
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All roles within local, state, and federal agencies provide what we have made of law enforcement today. The levels within the department are effective in the support of their own and effective uses of personnel. Departments are further finding ways to operate more effectively and make the funding of their departments go further. The different roles and training that go into the officers and the multiple forms of patrolling is a time honored tradition that has adapted over time and offered a safer approach to apprehending today’s criminal.
References
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There is a dedicated team of officers or detectives specializing in crimes may provide some advantages. This approach ensures that workers have enough time to dedicate to solve problems and build partnerships proactive efforts. Also, it is easier for the agency to develop knowledge and skills necessary to maximize efforts. Finally, specialized units could increase the visibility of community policing activities both within the department and the community. However, on the downside specialized unit may encourage the idea that the majority of staff are not responsible for partnership development cooperation, engage in problem-solving activities, or is attuned to the importance of community relations.
In Florida, every law enforcement official uses the tools of planning, management, and evaluation. For example, a patrol officer plans how to cover a beat, makes rounds or manage activities, and evaluates how they did at the end of the day. An officer plans what to do and how to do it before taking action. Unfortunately, this same approach is not consistently applied in police agencies and security operations as a whole. In fact, although a certain degree of planning is usually conducted by all prevention organizations, the major emphasis has traditionally been on the management and evaluation of an officers work; every sergeant knows to manage a police force in such a way that the commander will conclude that they are doing a good job. The major purpose of the discussion that follows is to provide crime prevention personnel information about planning, management, and evaluation so they can take advantage of those tools in performing their jobs.
American policing originated from early English law and is profoundly influenced by its history. Early law enforcement in England took on two forms of policing, one of which heavily influenced modern policing and it is known as the watch (Potter, 2013). The watch consisted, at first, of volunteers which had to patrol the streets for any kind of disorder including crime and fire. After men attempted to get out of volunteering by paying others, it became a paid professional position (Walker & Katz, 2012). The three eras of policing in America are shaped by these early ideas and practices of law enforcement. Throughout time, sufficient improvements and advancements have been made from the political era to the professional era and finally the community era which attempts to eliminate corruption, hire qualified officers and create an overall effective law enforcement system.
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Law enforcement is a career that is both violent and rewarding in many capacities. Justice needs to be served in law enforcement and they have a responsibility to uphold the law and serve the people in the community. Law enforcement is crucial in the world today as a global realm as life continues to be more complex and law enforcement struggles to combat many aspects of crime. In order to combat these problems and have a positive future in the criminal justice system, everyone must work together on a bigger scale.
In most cases, law enforcement involves investigation of all forms of suspected, potential or actual criminal activities and presenting evidence arising from investigation to the courts for determination of criminal culpability and subsequent punishment. Law enforcement is also concerned with detaining criminal suspects pending further investigation or judicial action. These, however, are not the only responsibilities or functions of law enforcement. Law enforcement is also concerned with deterrence and prevention of crime as well as enforcement of all the orders given by the law courts such as writs or warrants. In addition, law enforcement play an important role in ensuring public safety, maintaining public order, operating c...
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Describe the various "styles of policing" discussed in this chapter. Which do you think are the most popular today? Which do you think are the most effective? Due Date March 11, 2005
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The success of a law enforcement agency is the efficient police officers on patrol and their bond with the community. There are many ways an officer executes his patrol and some are more common than others. Foot patrol, vehicular patrol, bicycle patrol, mounted horse patrol, motorcycle patrol, and air patrol are the multitude of ways officers patrol the community.
Rich, Martin. “An Analytical Look into Police Ethics.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Vol.80. Issue 5. May 2011. 11-17. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013