Organizational Management and Operations

Organizational Management and Operations
Name
Institution
Introduction
In the United States, the role of the police is popularly inferred as that of protecting and serving. However, this is a phrase that has oversimplified the role of police since the roles are broadly categorized as being that of law enforcement and maintenance of order. Generally, police play various roles such as intervening whenever there is a problem encountered by citizens. They also play the role of controlling traffic. This means that they interact with the citizens in a frequent manner in non-criminal matters than in criminal matters. Despite the fact that police are involved to a large extent in serving the citizens, the major function of the police is law enforcement. It is through law enforcement that law breakers are apprehended, evidence gathered, criminals prosecuted, order upheld, and the citizens are served (Castberg, 2003). This paper concentrates on identifying, comparing and contrasting the policing functions at the local, state and federal organizational level.
In the contemporary world, the executives of every police agency in conjunction with the society, community and elected political leaders are involved in deciding the policing principles as well as strategies that must be incorporated into their mission. Various agencies across the country embrace both traditional policing with community and some statistical policing, problem oriented policing, and strategic policing in their preparation for the future. The administrative activities in the police agency are classified into three categories namely; administrative support, line operations and auxiliary services (Dempsey & Forst, 2010).
Administrative support activities are those that serve the needs of the agency and have very little or no direct impact on the citizens or its residents. Such activities include recruiting and training, budgeting as well as internal affairs. Although in most cases such activities are not outsourced, smaller agencies find it cost effective to outsource some support for training through collaborating with other jurisdictions and at times they do engage outside consultants to offer such activities. However, outsourcing other services such as storage of case files that are unclosed, evidence and property may be glared upon (Carter, 2004; Dempsey & Forst, 2010).
Auxiliary services are activities that give support to the line operations. Such activities include management of property and evidence, maintenance of records, forensic laboratory services, alcohol testing, detention, equipment and facilities maintenance as well as coordination of volunteers. Some auxiliary services are outsourced. For example, prisoners can be apprehended at a central county facility. Similarly, an agency can hire a private institution to give facilities maintenance services or laboratory services (Dempsey & Forst, 2010). Line operations activities refer to such activities such as those that serve the organizational goals and the public. They may include traffic management, patrolling, criminal investigation, organized crime control, communicating with the public, community and juvenile services, controlled drug/substance law enforcement as well as school ...