...Police Department Roles and Functions Justin Lewis CJA/214 April 23, 2014 Mr. Wheelen Police Department Roles and Functions Police departments are one of the most important parts of the criminal justice system. Our police departments are the frontline of defense for society. If society does not feel protected by the police then they are less likely to trust them. Along that same line, some of the citizens will become vigilantes in their own minds trying to “stop criminals”, making the officer’s jobs more difficult than it already is. In the United States, the duty of the law enforcement is to uphold public safety, first and foremost, by reducing the amount of crime in the environment. To achieve this responsibility worldwide, police officers have to partake in many roles. Several of those roles are conflicting roles, depending on the method of the organization, some accentuated over others. All police departments, no matter the location or size, have goals set up. These goals set forth a sense of purpose and direction. The primary goals of policing are the prevention of crime and protection of life, to uphold and enforce the law, to combat public fear of crime, to promote community safety, to control traffic, to encourage respect for the law, to protect the civil rights and liberties of individuals. These goals are important because they help to mode organization in a police department. The five responsibilities of police officers are to enforce the law as instructed...
Words: 1141 - Pages: 5
...Police Department Roles and Functions CJA/214 Police Department Roles and Functions Within any organization, it is important for the chief to delegate roles and functions to each department as applicable. As a result of effective administration, the departments come together to achieve a particular goal. An analogy of this method would be that of the mechanisms of a clock which has plenty of unique working parts that, when put together, will tell the time. As such, the roles and functions of police organizations will be identified along with their role as it applies to the law. There are various types of police agencies ranging from the local to federal level which will also be described. Finally, the specific role and function of patrol work will be explained. Roles and Functions of Police Organizations Roles and functions begin within an organizational chart that assigns tasks and authority for achieving goals. There are two basic classifications of police functions which are either operational or administrative (Grant and Terry, 2012). One role in a police department is in administrative services. The units that provide these services are sometimes referred to as support units. Their functions are usually in hiring and training of police officers, record keeping, planning and research as well as internal affairs. These units are co-staffed by sworn officers and civilian employees. Operational units or line personnel are...
Words: 1210 - Pages: 5
...does. In this paper I will go over with you all that roles and functions of police organizations and their role as it applies to the law. I will also go over the various types of police agencies at the local, state, and federal level and the roles and functions of each. Lastly I will explain the role and function of patrol work. By the end of this paper you should have a better understanding of what an officer does. The United States has one of the most complex law enforcement systems because of the various levels of their policing agencies. In the United stated each town, county, state, city, and small village has it’s oh policing agency. Even though there are various police agencies the structural organization is similar. This is because all law enforcement agencies have the same objective. The organizations of the police agencies are hierarchical. Police institutions can be analyzed like organizations with several key components (Alvarado, 2008). These organizations are designed with rank structure, separate departments and units. These components work together to form a fully functioning law enforcement agency. Local, State and Federal Agencies There are many different agencies local, state and federal government agencies. The local Agencies consist of three different agencies which are: Municipal police, county police and county sheriffs. There are two different types of state government Agencies the State police and the Bureaus of criminal investigation. Lastly are...
Words: 1178 - Pages: 5
...is approximately twenty thousand police agency’s locally and state wide here in the United States. As for other nations such as Canada they have 461, India has 22, Australia has 8, and England 43. However, in the United States these agencies are have overlapping jurisdictions, are loosely connected and have different levels of government. This consist of small towns, large cities, county, state township’s, and the federal departments as well. Mostly the major part of these departments handle routine duty’s such as patrolling, investigations of crime and murder, and responding to citizens’ complaints. Small departments employ fewer than 25 full time officers which equates to 81 percent or 11,015, then you have departments that employ approximately 5 full time officers which is 7.5 percent or roughly 1, 022, and the remaining rely heavily on part time or reserve officer’s. Then you have specialty departments that consist of airports, parks, agencies that enforce firearms, alcohol, and game or wildlife. Furthermore, you do have certain departments don’t fit into some of these categories such as county law enforcement (Sheriff). County law enforcement in some states only provide court house security, operate the county jails, serve papers for the courts, and assist other departments when called upon. Due to the different sizes and functions of these departments, it is to establish a standard organizational or management style to any one department. The law enforcement officer plays...
Words: 1276 - Pages: 6
...Police departments are the most ever-present organization in any society. Policemen are the most visible representatives of the government. In their hour of need and when there is no one to help, citizens will almost always seek help from the police. Members of the police department are supposed to be the most approachable representatives of the government of the day. In cases of accidents, disasters or criminal activity, the police department is always the first to be informed. The major roles of the police departments in any society include: maintenance and enforcement of the law, maintenance of order and service. It is the function of the police department to maintain and enforce the laws of the land. To this end, policemen are expected to uphold the law as well as to enforce it impartially and without bias. It is the function of the police department to protect citizens’ lives, property and integrity. Police departments have the function of protecting the human rights and liberty of the members of the public. They are also charged with the responsibility of creating a feeling of security in the community. As part of law enforcement, policemen maintain records of all criminal activities reported to them. They are also expected to investigate these criminal activities, identify and apprehend the perpetrators. The other major function of the police departments is the maintenance of order in the community. This entails maintenance of peace and prevention of activities that might...
Words: 575 - Pages: 3
...Police Roles and Functions CJS/210 2-26-12 Police Roles and Functions Police officers have many roles and functions. Society sees police officers as problem solvers of last resort. Police officers themselves see themselves as keepers of the law and protectors of the community. Whatever role or function of police officer, police officers ensure the safety of America’s communities. The main objective of police officers is to ensure preservation of peace and public safety through the enforcement of local, state, and Federal laws, and by providing support and assistance during emergency or crisis situations (Duluthmn). The police officer has three major functions that it does: social service, order maintenance, and crime control. Social service is the area where the police help people who need emergency assistance, whether it is giving first aid or finding lost children. Typically, over 50 percent of the telephone calls to the police requesting assistance involve social service as compared with less than 20 percent relating to crime. The police presence in society is also intended to preserve order by serving as a deterrent to misconduct and by providing a quick-response mechanism for potential or low-level problems (Katz, 2011). Order maintenance is the activities which involve: traffic control, crowd control, resolving domestic disputes, and moving prostitutes from the streets. The focus of order maintenance is on handling situations to preserve the peace rather than...
Words: 1074 - Pages: 5
...Roles and Functions 1 Police Department Roles and Functions University of Phoenix Introduction to Police Theory and Practices CJA/214 Eloise Brooks Don Redden, PhD, Instructor March 11, 2013 Roles and Functions 2 The Police Department main focus is the safety of the American People and enforcing the laws in which they have sworn too. When crisis and danger arise in our community the first words that come out is call the police. The police are primarily a crime fighter. Therefore they promote most of their time and effort enforcing the law, patrolling to deter crime, investigating crimes committed, and arresting the criminals that committed those crimes. (Walker & Katz, 2011) Policing is the most visible but the least understood profession. Law enforcement is not based on pieces of information and dramatizations as what we see on television, it has much more expectations. The duties of a law enforcement officer are more than protecting lives and properties. The officers’ duties depend solely on the size and type of the establishment. The roles and functions of the law enforcers consist of upholding and enforcing the law without being bias, to protect the civil rights and property of all people, to maintain and keep order among societies, to prevent crime from happening, to promote community safety, to monitor traffic and issue citations, arrest suspected criminals pursue and apprehend law breakers. There also other duties such as writing detailed reports and...
Words: 1175 - Pages: 5
...Police Department Roles and Functions Police services are delivered to the public through organizations. The quality of policing depends on how well a department is organized and managed. Some critics argue that the nature of police organizations is a major problem in policing: that the departments are isolated from the public, resist change, and do not make good use of their personnel. This paper will identify the principal roles and functions of police organizations and their role as it applies to the law. Next describe various types of police agencies at the local, state, and federal level and the roles and functions of each. Then explain the role and function of patrol work. Police are one of the most ubiquitous organizations of the society. The policemen, therefore, happen to be the most visible representatives of the government. In an hour of need, danger, crisis and difficulty, when a citizen does not know, what to do and whom to approach, the police station and a policeman happen to be the most appropriate and approachable unit and person for him. The police are expected to be the most accessible, interactive and dynamic organization of any society. Their roles, functions and duties in the society are natural to be varied and multifarious on the one hand; and complicated, knotty and complex on the other. Broadly speaking the twin roles, which the police are expected to play in a society are maintenance of law and maintenance of order. However, the ramifications of these...
Words: 396 - Pages: 2
...Police Roles and Functions Adrian Royals CJS/210 05-31-2015 Jacqueline Smith-Haines Police Roles and Functions There are various functions and roles of a police agency. The police are responsible for maintaining public order and the prevention of crimes along with the detection of them within the jurisdiction that they are responsible for keeping order. The policing agencies are also charged with protecting life, liberty, and property of the people. On a daily basis, the crimes increase and so does the complexity of the crimes that are committed, and the complexity of the investigations that go along with solving the crimes. Without the police, the society would live in a state of chaos where people would live in a state of solitude, afraid to go out due to the crimes around them. The police agencies play an important role in the direction of justice. Some of the ways that the police agencies execute these functions is to execute all orders and warrants lawfully issued to the officer by authority. They also collect intelligence and communicate the intelligence that affects the public peace. They are also responsible for the prevention of the acts of crime or public annoyance and apprehend offenders and bringing them to justice. This is just to name a few of the functions of the policing agencies. There are mainly three different types of policing agencies. They are federal policing agencies, state policing agencies, and local policing agencies. Each type of police agency...
Words: 1068 - Pages: 5
...Police Department Roles and Functions Ashlee Hoagland CJS/241 March 16, 2015 Norman Healy Police Department Roles and Functions The Police Department must serve many roles and purposes so they also must take care of any issues that arise, dealing with the law and with the safety of the public. This is why the departments have different level of officers designated to carry out certain functions. These roles vary by jurisdiction where there are state, local, and federal jurisdictions. Police Functions and Roles The principal roles and functions of police organizations are the prevention of crime and protection of life, to uphold and enforce the law, to combat public fear of crime, to promote community safety, to control traffic, to encourage respect for the law, to protect the civil rights and liberties of individuals. The police are to protect and serve the community in which they work in. The basic mission of law enforcement is to maintain public safety by reducing the occurrence of crimes in society. To make this happen the Police must play a certain role in society. They are to enforce the laws, help maintain the peace. By providing their service they help prevent crime and by arresting offenders they enforce the laws. (Schmallenger, 2011.) The law determines the functions and roles of the police. The law dictates how they will fulfill these duties. The police have guidelines and restrictions they must follow. There are many different...
Words: 957 - Pages: 4
...Police Role and Functions By Odweeds CJS/220 What are the various functions of a police agency? There are many departments within police department, there are various functions that each level of police agencies handles. Department function can be broken down into what certain officers do or what is the best way for the officers to help out with the community. Patrol services serving in the community preventing crime and assisting people in their time of need. Patrol officers handle different calls throughout their day on the job, some calls they will need different officers to handle a situation that may be going on such as gang activity which would be handled by gang task force. Dare officers that go to schools in the community and hold town hall meetings about keeping children off drugs and preventing them from getting involved with the wrong crowd that may be in to the drug scene. Within the department help starts at the front window with clerical service window attendant. Clerical employee handles all walk in clients that come to the police station, and will direct them who they need to speak to or where to go in the department. Clerical handles parking ticket payments requests for police incident reports, keeping track of police data and various other secretary duties. Police officers of the department occasionally...
Words: 1086 - Pages: 5
...1,400- to 1,750-word paper in which you identify, compare, and contrast the policing function at the local, state, and federal organizational levels. Analyze how the organizational, management, administration, and operational functions at these three organizational levels are similar or different and why. Be sure to identify the leadership characteristics and responsibilities pertaining to each organizational level. Include at least four peer reviewed references. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Police agencies in US basically play the role of protection and service to its citizens. Over simplifying the police role, many police cars are adorned with the tag of “to protect and serve”. Meanwhile many scholars attempted to categorise the role of police into two fragments: maintenance of order and law enforcement.(James,1968).But in reality police ,the role of police is much more diversified and complex ,in contrast to the divisions mentioned above. They are generally the first agency that people look up to whenever in need. From searching lost children to solving neighbour’s dispute, from property problems to traffic control, the role of police is most significant for the law enforcement of a country. It can be concluded that police interact with people more often with respect to non-criminal matters in comparison to criminal matters. This shows that the major role of police is law enforcement .It includes investigation of criminal activity, collection of evidence...
Words: 1587 - Pages: 7
...Police Department Organization Paper Kathee Kathee CJA/214 November 17th, 2011 Todd Larson The police department is important to community. There are several departments and agencies designed to keep the people safe from drugs, homicide, armed robbery, rape, and many other crimes. There are various acts of violence that take place in America but police are practicing safety precautions to keep our streets safe. In this paper, will be addressing the various types of police agencies at local, state, and federal levels. It will also address the roles and functions of police operations and their role as it applies to the law. Finally, I will identify the major organizational theories associated with policing. There are just under 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States. This includes 12,656 local police, 3,061 sheriff’s departments, 49 state police agencies, 1,376 special police agencies, and 45 federal agencies. At the local level, they have municipal police, county police, and county sheriffs. Also there are the constables, coroners, special district police, and the tribal police. Local Police Agencies Municipal police: Municipal or city police are the most important component of American law enforcement. In 2000 they represented 71% of law enforcement agencies and employed 62% of all sworn officers. Municipal police play a more complex role than any other type of law enforcement agency. The external environment heavily influences all agencies...
Words: 2460 - Pages: 10
...essay In this essay, I will discuss the functional role of the criminal justice administration in the police department. I will also describe what I consider being the major issues and satisfactions of that particular role. Finally, I will discuss if this course helped prepare me? If not, what might improve the course? To understand and comprehend what a criminal justice administrator job functions are we must first define these two words Criminal Justice, Administrator of Criminal Justice and Police Administrator. Criminal Justice – Is the system of law enforcement, involving police, lawyers, courts, and corrections, used for all stages of a criminal proceeding and punishment (Dictionary.Reference 2016). Administrator of Criminal Justice – Is defined as the performance of activities such as detection, apprehension, detention, pretrial release, post-trial release, prosecution, adjudication, correctional supervision or rehabilitation of accused person or criminal offenders or the collection, storage and dissemination of criminal history record information (Us. Legal 2016). Police Administrator – Is defined as the process, art, and science of the management, supervision and ethical leadership of a police agency (Us. Legal 2016). In today's world of policing the role of criminal justice, police administrator is a very complex and challenging job in today society. A police administrator has many different functions when it comes to his/her job description. The old tradition...
Words: 1196 - Pages: 5
...essay In this essay, I will discuss the functional role of the criminal justice administration in the police department. I will also describe what I consider being the major issues and satisfactions of that particular role. Finally, I will discuss if this course helped prepare me? If not, what might improve the course? To understand and comprehend what a criminal justice administrator job functions are we must first define these two words Criminal Justice, Administrator of Criminal Justice and Police Administrator. Criminal Justice – Is the system of law enforcement, involving police, lawyers, courts, and corrections, used for all stages of a criminal proceeding and punishment (Dictionary.Reference 2016). Administrator of Criminal Justice – Is defined as the performance of activities such as detection, apprehension, detention, pretrial release, post-trial release, prosecution, adjudication, correctional supervision or rehabilitation of accused person or criminal offenders or the collection, storage and dissemination of criminal history record information (Us. Legal 2016). Police Administrator – Is defined as the process, art, and science of the management, supervision and ethical leadership of a police agency (Us. Legal 2016). In today's world of policing the role of criminal justice, police administrator is a very complex and challenging job in today society. A police administrator has many different functions when it comes to his/her job description. The old tradition...
Words: 1196 - Pages: 5
