Police officers face challenges during the operations. It is a risky career because they have to handle sensitive cases. Police officers deal with issues that affect the public and community. A law enforcement officer takes an oath to provide security and service to the community. Law enforcement officials are responsible for maintaining order in the criminal justice system. The critical issues in policing include drug abuse, violence, misconduct, brutality, and use of excessive force. Police officers have to deal with critical issues in their institutions and community. Police officers face risks every day in their line of duty, but the application of technology in the law enforcement field has assisted them to solve critical issues and improve their performance.
History of Policing
Policing in America began in the colonial period. The duty of the first night guards was to protect the borders of the cities at night. The cities in the United States grew, and people perceived that the night guards were inefficient in providing security. There were poor relationships between the police and the homogenous society. It was due to trust issues because the citizens perceived police officers are corrupt. In the 1800s, New York and Boston cities began to implement the planned policing operations (Allen & Sawhney, 2015). The citizens did not embrace the planned policing operations because they perceived that they could increase corruption and decrease the powers of the state. The police assured the public that the government controlled them. As a result, the citizens embraced the planned policing activities (Allen & Sawhney, 2015). In the 1990s, the main issues that affected the police forces were corruption, inadequate skills, and lack of trust from the public. The social media platforms have portrayed a bad image for the police officers (Allen & Sawhney, 2015). The police officers have been working on creating a good image, but the online platforms influence the perception of the public negatively. Police interactions with the multicultural society have not yet improved. The community has a negative perception towards the law enforcement officials.
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Potential Problems in the Current Structure and Design of Police Departments
The present structure of the police unit is similar to that of the military. The police departments follow strict rules and processes. Police units are characterized by inflexible structures where authority is delegated (Allen & Sawhney, 2015). The policies in the United States police department are rigid. Subsequently, the units can fail to incorporate the appropriate communication networks due to the inflexibility of their policies (Allen & Sawhney, 2015). Police institutions are implementing mentorship policies to mitigate the adverse effects of the closed system in their departments. The policies agencies have also created specialized facilities that are present in the community and other institutions. Police institutions have increased the professional skills of the officers through training and encouraging them to enroll in course in the high learning institutions. Most of the police agencies have met the accepted and recommended standards on law enforcement. The working surroundings in the police institutions are discouraging misconduct to enhance the behaviors of the officers. Police departments have incorporated community-oriented programs that are designed to meet the needs of the public (Allen & Sawhney, 2015). The traditional structure is ineffective in solving the critical issues that affect the operations of the police department. The police agencies need to incorporate a flexible organizational structure that will adapt to the changes that occur in the community.
Historical and Modern Comparison of Critical Issues encountered by Police Managers
Historically, the police departments handled critical issues such as corruption, lack of professional skills and public mistrust. The police did not use technology to handle crime and immigration issues. There was poor communication between the police officers in the institutions. They could not communicate with other members from partnering organizations. Technology has improved communication and efficiency in handling criminal or immigration issues.
Through the improvement of technology, the security and machines have improved. Police officers can use body armors for protection when confronting criminals. The bullet and stab armor have not been introduced in the police units. The body armor can protect the police against stray bullets during intense situations that involve the confrontation of criminals ("National Institute Of Justice", 2014) . The other improvement in technology is the use of cameras to identify the events that took place in the crime scene. The police officers also use cameras mounted on cars and bodies. The cameras are used during patrols, training, and monitoring traffic. The body mounted cameras are new to the police departments ("National Institute of Justice", 2014). The other area that has improved due to the application of technology is communication. The communication network between the police officers and their superiors has improved through the establishment of good channels. The police officers can make and receive calls. The police managers can take part in the problem-solving process due to the advancement in technology. The interaction of the police officers with the multicultural society has not improved. Citizens make calls to police units to get assistance during emergencies ("National Institute of Justice", 2014). Technology has improved communication and effectiveness in the police department.
The local and state level departments have been operating for decades. The DHS was formed in 2012 after getting an approval from the Congress. The law enforcement officials at the federal, local, and boundary levels are responsible for protecting the country against terrorist attacks ("Home Land Security", 2014). It is vital for all the government agencies to interact. Crimes cannot be solved in case the government departments are disintegrated. Each department has a unique skill that is required in solving the crimes. The improvement in technology has benefited police officers and criminals. It is essential for police officers to establish relationships between their units. Integration between departments is vital to solving crimes and security for police officers.
In conclusion, police officers are responsible for providing security and dealing with unlawful practices in the community. Police officers encounter critical issues in their line of duty. The critical issues that police officers encounter include brutality, drug abuse, misconduct, violence, and use of excessive force. The advancement of technology has improved the approaches in dealing with critical issues and communication networks in the police departments. Police units should continue to utilize technology to enhance their operations.
References
Allen, J. M., & Sawhney, R. (2015). Police Administration. In Administration and Management in Criminal Justice: A Service Quality Approach (2nd ed.).
Home Land Security. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.dhs.gov/topic/law-enforcement-partnerships
National Institute of Justice. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/technology/Pages/welcome.aspx
