Officers critical thinking example

– What is meant by a Complex Internal Constituency? Explain how this effect can have deleterious consequences to the police organization.
Complex internal constituency is the situation where within an organization that deals with criminal justice there are various participants who have internal conflicts between them and at the same time they operate in such a manner as to achieve their own goals and objectives. This type of setting can lead to deleterious consequences to the police organization due to the fact that, such organizations need to work in coordination and with unilateral vision and mission and in case if there will be a situation of Complex Internal Constituency then it will not be possible to operate effectively.
– What is a hierarchy/chain of command? Please discuss the structure and function of the chain of command in a law enforcement organization. Be specific.
The chain of command depicts the ranks at which personnel of law organizations operate and at each rank there is a change of roles and responsibilities which can be either the type of responsibility or the capacity in which they operate. The structure can be commonly understood as:

These can be both front end and back end support personnel that take care of various activities in a Police organization.

Detectives

These are usually under cover members and usually work on gathering useful information to ensure law and order.
Sergeants
These are front end law enforcement personnel who are usually involved into ground work and civilian security.
Lieutenants and Captains
They are leaders of the above and give command and ensure discipline during all activities and fulfilling of responsibilities.
Deputy Chiefs and Chiefs of Police
As chiefs this rank usually has the responsibility of an area and they are involved in making relevant strategies to enforce law and order
– Assess the validity of this statement, making certain to cite evidence to support and advance your argument: A police department is a bureaucracy.
A police department certainly operates as a bureaucracy as they follow that structure where everything is governed by personnel qualifications and skills, assigned duties, specializations, rules and regulations and hierarchy of command. The bureaucratic operations structure provides that support which enables disciplined routine and efficient working. While they maintain quasi-military features which makes them wear uniforms, carry weapons and work under ranks, another important bureaucratic feature is their watchman, legalistic and service style of management.
– How does organizational complexity affect the systematic efficiency of a law enforcement organization? Cite examples of how increased complexity may erode or advance the efficiency of an organization.
Organizational complexity whether external or internal can directly impact the way a law enforcement organization operates. The complexity is primarily associated with the conflicts between ideas and work styles of different personnel and then there is an adverse impact on the overall functioning of the organization as due to the conflicts; multiple people try to meet their individual goals however the overall vision of the organization cannot be met. As an example let’s say there is an area that is covered by 50 law enforcement personnel, administered by two leaders who have different interests thus causing issues as it becomes difficult to implement strategies that can be universally accepted and therefore the common vision of criminal justice is hampered.
– How do environmental conditions play a role in how the criminal justice system operates? Cite specific examples in answering this question.
Environmental conditions showcase external phenomenon, event, ecology and demographic that can impact the overall criminal justice system. Based on the environment there is an impact on various aspects of criminal justice as there are customized practices and situations that appear depending on the environment. There are also various laws that are pertaining to a specific region or they may be stricter or lenient depending on the local norms. As an example we can consider that various travel and tourist destinations have relaxed laws so that the tourists can enjoy more however also because of such relaxations such destinations may become centre of criminal activity.
– How does environmental uncertainty play a role in the decisions making process of administrators in a criminal justice agency? Provide several examples to advance your argument.
In case of uncertainty of environment it becomes very difficult to formulate the strategies that can lead to a better criminal justice system. Administrators, usually plan and analyze the pattern in which criminal activities take place and on the basis of that they make certain strategies that can lead to a decrease in the criminal activities however in case if there is a lot of uncertainly and volatility of environment it becomes very difficult to decide on how to restrict. For example, if there is any communal unrest in an area and there are some festivals that come that require people to go out in groups, it may become very difficult for the law enforcement teams to identify between people who are out to celebrate or if they really want to create unrest.
– What are the nine barriers to communication? Explain each and be certain to give at least one example of each barrier.
Barriers of communication specify the factors that restrict adequate communication thus impacting an adequate functioning of an organization. Mentioned below are the ones:
– Preconceived ideas – Hearing or admitting only what one wants to hear ex. If a message is sent that Patrolling must be increased, some one interprets that to happen only in a specific area
(2), Denial of contrary information – Denying actual information due to its contradiction with our own belief example: Not agreeing to an information recorded during an investigation just because it dosent seem valid
(3) Use of personalized meanings – Choice of words by sender may result in alternative interpretation example: saying stop, don’t let go can also be heard as stop don’t, let go
(4) Lack of motivation or interest – Lack of interest in communication from either or both the parties example: two officers do not want to meet and create a strategy together due to internal conflicts
(5) Non-credibility of the source – Sender of information who may not be a valid source or cannot be believed example: information about a prime suspect during an investigation may not be true
(6) Lack of communication skills – Poor speaking, listening or writing skills or inability to adequately communicate or understand example: untrained officials may not be able to decode electronic messages sent by criminals for their communication
(7) Poor organizational climate – An organizational system that does not promote or restricts communication example: an organization with various conflicts may lack communication due to this factor
(8) Use of complex channels – Change in actual information due to transfer among various parties example: information coming from informers may not be very trust worthy
(9) Communication gap – Difference between what is being sent and the actual interpretation by the receiver example: information says curfew to be released however the same was to happen for an hour but is interpreted as continuous
– What is Need Theory? Explain this theory and provide an example of the application of Need Theory to the workplace environment.
Achievement, affiliation, power and management are the needs identified by David McClelland and have named the same as the needs theory. These act as primary factor for motivation for everyone and therefore it is important that these are adequately used at the workplace as an incentive or form of incentive in order to drive motivation and work towards achieving the organization’s goals.
– Explain the basic tenets of Theory Z. How does Theory Z differ from Theory X and Theory Y?
The theory z states that the human needs cannot be satisfied and the motivation for a human is driven by satisfaction of his needs which can be classified in the form of a hierarchical structure. Theory z is different from theory X and Y as X stated that workers by default would dislike and avoid work and Y stats that work can be a source of satisfaction however both of these do not talk about the needs as a motivation factor.
– Please describe what is meant by the term Taylorism. How might one apply Taylorism in the day to day operation of criminal justice agencies? Be specific.
Taylorism or taylor system is the phenomenon using scientific methods to drive efficiency within an organization. The first focus is to ensure adequate work breakdown to reduce skill needs and then to differentiate between planning and execution. It also requires generating precise measurements and even doing time and motion study in order to improve output. Criminal Justice agencies can widely benefit from implementation of Taylorism as that will help to increase the accuracy of results by adequate forecasting and use of scientific method of breaking down the tasks in silos and using the people with right skill sets to manage the same.

Works Cited

Gavrielides, Theo. Restorative Justice Theory and Practice: Addressing the discrepancy. Helsinki: European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, 2007.
Stojkovic, Stan, David Kalinich and John Klofas. Criminal Justice Organizations: Administration and Management, Fourth Edition. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth Publishers, 2008.