Paper Assignment: Environmental Scan
It is important that law enforcement executives understand the environments in which the law enforcement agency operates, both internal and external. For the purpose of this assignment, you are considering applying for the position of chief of police for the town/city/jurisdiction in which you live or work and are gathering background information prior to submission of the application.
• What type of government structure does the jurisdiction have, e.g. strong mayor, council-mayor, etc.? You might consider utilizing the web-site for your locale (if one exists) or any other internet or hard-copy information available.
• What are the local political forces, e.g. what issues are currently being discussed and/or making the news?
• Why do these issues seem to be important?
• Who are the political players (both inside government and in the community)?
• How do they display their power?
• How is law enforcement currently handled, e.g. is there a full-service police agency? A partial service agency? Are services contracted to county, state, or sheriff agencies?
• If your jurisdiction has its own police agency, is it full-service or partial service? Is it unionized and if so, which ranks/positions (for sworn personnel) are covered?
• What is the "crime rate" for the jurisdiction for the years 2007 and/or 2008? What types of crime or order maintenance issues are prevalent?
• If services are contracted or if a state/county police department or sheriff agency has responsibility, what is the level of community satisfaction?
• What types of information would you like to know before submitting your application and why?
Based on the degree to which students meet the following criteria:
• Cover page with name, course title and number, and date submitted.
• Body of paper:
o Introduction that provides the purpose of the paper.
o Answers to questions 1 - 5 above.
o Utilization of information from conference discussion(s) and reading materials for Week 2.
o Conclusion(s).
• Reference List
All papers will adhere to APA guidelines and be a minimum of five (5 FULL) computer-generated, double-spaced 12 point font pages. Margins are to be 1 inch (top, bottom, right, left).