Policing Q&a

Policing Operations Q & A Paper

What are the various functions of a police agency? Compare and contrast how these functions differ at the federal, state, and local levels. What would happen if the various functions and roles of policing agencies were limited among communities? The Police Department is created as an executive branch of the City Government by City Ordinance. The functions of a police agency are; the protection of people and property, prevention and deterrence of criminal activity, the maintenance of public order, the detection of criminal activity, the apprehension of offenders, the enforcement of all state and local laws, timely and effective response to unusual occurrences, the recovery and return of property, education of the public, provide other services to the citizens of the community that are deemed to be proper functions of the Police, and another function is proactive rather than reactive, with police managers anticipating events through planning, using personnel and resources effectively. (City of Waverly, 2011)

The functions between local and state agency are: entering into required agreements; comply with civil right requirements; maintain accurate and complete records. In some states, the state police have general responsibility; in others, the investigative powers are limited. About half of all state agencies provide crime lab services (ballistics, drug testing) for local police departments. Agencies at each level have very different roles and responsibilities. There is no federal agency responsible for supervising local agencies or ensuring minimum standards. Federal agencies have a far less complex role than that of municipal agencies. Federal agents do not have the ambiguous and difficult order maintenance responsibilities, do not maintain 911 emergency telephone services, and are not asked to handle vague “disturbance” calls. Moreover, there are some limit in the role and functions of the agencies. As a result, some community...