Week 3.2

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapter 5 in the textbook in addition to the Ridgeway (2014) article.

The practice of benchmarking has been defined as, "a structured approach for identifying the best practices from industry and government, and comparing and adapting them to the organization's operations" (Doss, 2012). Benchmarking and the noting of best practices by leaders and policy makers within the fields of law enforcement and corrections can be essential for a host of financial purposes. Organizational grants are often based on benchmarks as are policy development and training practices.

Carefully consider the information provided in your required sources for this discussion and include the following elements in your initial post:

• Explain how a SWOT analysis would enable a law enforcement or correctional agency to better benchmark itself against other similar organizations.
• Explain the ways a SWOT analysis would contribute to an agency's strategic plan.
• Analyze the ramifications of a SWOT analysis and benchmarking for an organization's budgetary requirements.

Your initial post should be at least 400 words in length.