Malfunction Junction

A case study is a form of qualitative explanatory research that is used to look at individuals, a small group of participants, or a group as a whole. Research on case studies allows people to understand complex issues that can extend experience and add strength to previous research. Case studies articulate detailed analysis of a minimal number of events and their affairs. This paper will look at the case study entitled “Malfunction Junction”. This paper will answer 4 questions in regards to the case study giving adequate feedback about the questions being asked.

DO YOU ENVISION ANY PROBLEMS WITH TRADITIONAL-THINKING OFFICERS AND SUPERVISORS STILL WORKING IN THE ORGANIZATION? IF SO, HOW WILL YOU HANDLE THEIR CONCERNS?

This author believes that traditional thinking officers and supervisors may hinder proper decision making when it comes to today’s criminal acts. In traditional thinking officers “the central tenet is that things are as they have always been and the future will be likewise thus they cannot be any other way” able to know (2009). The point being is fate, and all that needs to be learned by any organization is fate and how to organize their lives in accordance with it. In this world, argumentation and logic doesn’t exist because no alternatives exist. Changes need to be made so traditional thinking officers can openly see that the nation is changing and different thinking techniques need to be applied.

In handling traditional thinking officers concerns, this author will instill a must for patrol officers to get the training they need to encourages and formulate initiatives and the discretionary ability that is portrayed as an exciting removable of traditional thinking. Traditional thinking officers need to develop a way to prepare in advance, organize, solve different problems, communicate better, and gain stronger leadership skills thorough the means of training. Sooner or later, the officers in question will have the ability to help training officers in the training of others. One major concern in organizations is the way that detectives and patrol officers handle investigative functions with their traditional thinking ways. This is because only a small percentage of detectives solved crimes only because of information obtained by patrol officers.

USING THE SEVEN ELEMENTS OF POLICE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER, WHERE DOES IT APPEAR THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO REORGANIZE THE AGENCY, ESPECIALLY TO ACCOMMODATE COPPS?

It appears that this author would need to reorganize the agency in four of the seven elements of police organizational structure. OCCUPATIONAL DIFFERENTIATION relies on employees with specialized occupational skills. It is impossible to accommodate community oriented policing and problem solving if officers all have the same mindset. When dealing with community oriented policing and problem solving, different employees need to have different specialized skills in order to completely address issues within the community. If each employee possesses the same skills, problem solving would become an uphill battle.

FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENTIATION is “the degree to which the organization divides its work into specialized functions” jrank (2010). Even though every organization has different divisions for different functions, this author believes it would be more beneficial if those divisions were divided into even smaller subunits to design more functionally differentiated divisions. FORMALIZATION is “the extent to which an organization relies on formal written policies and procedures rather than informal guidelines such as tradition or friendship” jrank (2010). This author would reorganize the agency by eliminating tradition and implementing non friendship policies to better accommodate community oriented policing and problem solving.

CENTRALIZATION Is “the extent to which decisions within an organization are concentrated at the top of the hierarchy” jrank (2010). This author believes that all decisions should be represented on the same level instead of being represented as above or below other decisions from organizational employees. Every decision made by an employee should be respected.

WOULD YOU ANTICIPATE THAT THE OFFICERS’ WORKLOAD WOULD BE REDUCED OR INCREASED UNDER THE COPPS STRATEGY?

This author anticipates that all officers who participate in community oriented policing and problem solving within a community should have their workload reduced in house to free more time for policing and problem solving for that particular community. Accomplishing this will definitely allow the officers to focus more on the task at hand rather than to be un-focused on their involvement in the community in question.

WHAT TYPES OF INFORMATION WOULD YOU USE TO EVALUATE THE PROGRESS OF YOUR COMMUNITY POLICING INITIATIVE?

This author believes that in order to evaluate the progress of the community policing initiative, a progress report will be done and turned in every quarter by supervisors of employees patrolling communities. This will allow the author to see problems in the community policing initiative that can be fixed by centralization.

References

Able To Know. (2009). What is traditional thinking? Para. 4, Line 2. Retrieved October 02, 2010

From http://able2know.org/topic/131351-1

Jrank. (2010). Police: Organization and Management – Variation In Style And Structure. Seven Elements

Of The Core Dimensions Of A Police Organization’s Structure. Pg. 1, Para. 8. Retrieved October 02, 2010, from http://law.jrank.org/pages/1669/Police-Organization-Management-Variation-in-style-structure.html