Report on the Sherriff’s Take on the Law Enforcement Sector
Report on the Sherriff’s Take on the Law Enforcement Sector
My election to the post of Sheriff has convinced me that the county expects me to re-organize a dysfunctional department. I plan to start with the very basics and will reconsider the way that the department is structured and managed. I have agreed to create a report for the county commissioners, to earn their support for my reform plans.Structure
Organizations have a formal structure, which is the manner in which an organization is organized by those with the responsibility of doing so. These managers create formal structures that allow the organization to meet its stated objectives. These formal structures are often set on paper in the form of charts. However, with time, an informal structure develops in some organizations that are based on day to day interactions between the members of the organizations. Informal structure may develop because it is easier to work with them; patterns of interactions are mostly shaped by friendship groups or other relationships, and also because people forget what formal structures are.
Organizational structures are crucial, especially in law enforcing agencies. This is because they give members a means of maintaining order thus resolving disagreements. The structures allow use of clear guidelines for how to proceed, which all the members, whether superior to the other or not must, follow to the letter. The structures also bind the workers together and give members identity and meaning. This is mainly seen in the informal kind of structure as the people develop social comfort within themselves and this has been proven to improve work ethic in the offices.Management
It is important for participative management to be present in the law enforcing agency. Participative management helps to increase of productivity in the offices. For example, an increased say in decision making shows a strong sense of association in the offices. The employer here can step down and the employee takes charge and this creates a more creative and mutual environment. There is also the advantage of job satisfaction as this type of management gives the individual employee a feel that he or she has a say in decision making and he or she plays an integral part in their organization (Conser, Paynich, Gingerich, & Gingerich, 2011). Also, motivation plays a great role in this form of management as decentralized decision making means that everyone has a say thus everyone is important.
Moreover, quality control is improved as feedbacks come from people who are part of the processes at the lowest level. This means that even the smallest of problems are tackled and no flaws go unreported. There is also reduced cost in the deployment of participative management. This is seen where there is less need of supervision and more emphasis on the widening of collective skills and self-management. However, everything good must come with a cost. There are setbacks to the use of participative management. For starters, decision making becomes slow (Conser, Paynich, Gingerich, & Gingerich, 2011). With great numbers in decision making, there is going to be slow decision making. Inputs and contributions come from every side thus accuracy of measurements needs time for verification and thus decision making is slowed down.
Participatory management goes a long way in building a people’s morale as it motivates them in understanding that there say is important and that they too are needed in the group. As the new sheriff, I see that increased arrests are not important for lowering crime rates. In my opinion, increased arrests are not necessary as many of the arrests are young delinquents who instead of being arrested can be given guidance and counseling. I plan on setting up educative seminars to the public to show value of public and community policing and this seminar will help a great deal in teaching the people the importance of law enforcers-public relations. Therefore, with the help from the community and the rational thinking of the police, patrolling may not even be necessary. In sum, as your sheriff, I will work in the improvement of the law enforcement sector and the security of all.
Reference
Conser, J. A., Paynich, R., Gingerich, T. E., & Gingerich, T. (2011). Law enforcement in the
United States. Burlington, MA : Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
