Organizational Challenges

Organizational Challenges

Jason Williams

Administration of Justice Organizations

Liberty University

Organizational Challenges

Police departments throughout the nation all endure organizational challenges. Some of these challenges include staffing, budgeting, out dated equipment, and keeping up with the demands of the public. Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV) states “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” A great leader is needed for any organizational challenge. This paper will help bring to light some of the everyday issues that police departments have to face.

Staffing

It really depends on how many officers are needed to compensate for the population. Many different agencies have gone through the same downward spiral of the economy. Many police departments have had to consider hiring freezes, lay-offs, furloughs, and salary/benefit cut-backs (Wilson & Weiss, 2012). Most people in law enforcement are not in it for the money so many of them have stayed with their departments.

Police departments have challenges to their staffing needs. Some issues include a decreased number of qualified applicants, expanding attrition, and the wide variety of police work (Wilson & Weiss, 2012). Many police departments have understaffed.

Recruitment

Police departments across the nation are understaffed and have to deal with the lack of recruitment goals (Baer, 2007). Many law enforcement agencies face the challenge of recruiting and retaining quality officers throughout the nation. Most of the time police departments look within the department for recruitment of specialized units such as narcotics, street crimes, traffic, bike patrol, crime scene, SWAT teams, and field training officer, and patrol investigators.

A police department’s recruitment strategy is a key in the agencies success (Pearsall & Kohlhepp, 2010). Agencies have had trouble for many years across the nation in recruiting and retaining officers. During...