Week 3 Paper (for Hifsa Shakaut)

EMPA 311: Micro Lesson – Session 3:

It is important to distinguish the various organizational structures that can be achieved and their influence to organizational functionality. Kania & Davis cite the “O” in both LODESTAR AND POSDCORB for “organizing” the workforce, “organization is the process of arranging and structuring cooperative human effort (P.93).” But we need to keep in sight that those arrangements influence the workforce and those they serve in the community. For instance, the creation of a fugitive task force that exercises well intended duties may have grave implications to a community who is suffering from implicit biases and police relations. Nonetheless, organized specialized units may have great effects dependent on the current circumstances. A leader and manager should take into consideration the current political and environmental climate before pursuing any organizational change.

Accordingly, members must be informed of any type of organizational change to maintain cohesiveness in the department and job satisfaction. Members are the “vital engines” of any organization, thus must be informed of any changes and duties within the operational structure of their organization to maintain job satisfaction and productivity. Clarity in job duties and an understanding of others obligations are essential to any type of command. As important, the community and media need to be informed of any drastic changes, notwithstanding compromising special investigations, of new units or missions by the LE agency to maintain transparency and trust. The same is both within the agency and outside the agency.

Leaders are the most influential members of their LE agency (we all have heard of the ole adage, “it starts at the top”) and their view of progress should take into consideration social and political pressures as essential elements in the operation of conducting public affairs and influencing the behaviors of their members within their agency. A strong sense of mission is more emphasized by the leader and better facilitated by them. How a leader then establishes his organization and applies policies empowers members, managers and the public.

Thus, a Leader must also establish and plan for organizational success to include “mission, goals, objectives, policies, and end states desired for the organization (Kania & Davis, P.114).” Decision making must also take into account political ideals and budget constraints. Most leaders want to use a rational choice model, and the reality of their decision many times involves the wishes of the politicians who are also involved in the budget forecasts. We have seen recently the availability of funds for more police in agencies such as Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco. Without the support of the local government, a LE leader would not be able to manage their resources adequately. Strategic planning involves the buy-in of not only politicians, but the public as well. The public is a moving force, partially because they are the constituents who vote in the politicians, but they also need to accept the ideals that are planned in the betterment of their communities. LE must involve them as the stakeholders with a valid interest and partner in the planning.

Solid and concrete policies are vital to any LE agency. Not only does it help in controlling behavior, it also provides the public with an image of the department. Policies can be as simplistic as uniform and grooming standards to when to use deadly force. Currently, many departments are reviewing their policies on the use of force given the current atmosphere nationally due to the media attention on officer-involved shootings. An agency must adapt their policies consistently to the current climate and technological advances. We found years ago the establishment of policies for the use of Tasers. Tasers were very new to LE which required policies and procedures for training and its use. With the array of social media, LE had to develop policies that outlined how and what could be displayed on social media by its members. Policies help maintain control on ethical behavior and serve as a platform for LE to act. Even the media establishes policies that they will not provide LE with their “out-takes” which are those images that the press takes, whether video or photographs, and are not produce to the public. The reasoning by the media is that they do not want to act as LE agents. There is no doubt that policies are also in place to protect the agency from liability and lawsuits. Some agencies policies are more generalize versus others are very detailed oriented. Depending on the agency and their particular mission, the procedures that are in place may have well been established from past errors and adaptation to new demands from stakeholders. We found that the U.S. Secret Service recently changed their policy that agents traveling ahead of time to prepare for a dignitary protection detail may not go out and party, as was the case in Columbia. But some policies may be too restrictive and can hinder the behavior or advancement of the members of a LE agency. There must be a balance that serves both society and the department to promote ethical and safe behaviors and the safety and trust of the community it serves.

LE agencies continue to debate the use of body cameras and establishing policies that govern their use, when they go on, if an officer can review them to write their reports and if the public should be able to view the footage after a critical incident. It is going to be essential that policies reflect the needs of all involved, including the public, but it should be conducted in a rational matter, not a reactive matter, to ascertain that a thorough investigation is done and the images of a body cam is used as part of the overall investigation and not the sole means of it. The images only portray what is in front of the officer and not what he heard or knew prior to the incident, saw to his side, what other witnesses’ views were or the officer’s state of mind. Having been involved in hundreds of Officer-involved shooting investigations, I know firsthand that there are many moving parts in the investigation and to conduct a well non-bias investigation requires the compilation of all the facts and evidence, not just the video. Video in itself can create a bias opinion if not all the facts are known, so a policy to release its image must be weighed very discreetly by the leader of the organization to see whether the value of showing it early on may be probative or prejudicial.

ASSIGNMENT:

How can policies be used in Law Enforcement agencies effectively within their organizational structure to continually build trust with the public?