Agency Administration
How are police departments
organized?
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Mission in a Democratic Society
1. Enforce and support the laws
2. Investigate crimes/apprehend
offenders
3. Prevent crime
4. Ensure domestic peace and tranquility
5. Provide the community with
enforcement–related services
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing the
Department
Managerial
Concepts
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Managerial Concepts
• Division of Labor – similar functions
assigned to same group
• Chain of Command – line of authority
• Span of Control - # of subordinates
– Ideal is 1:6-10
• Delegation of Responsibility & Authority
• Unity of Command – one supervisor per
person
• Rules Regulations & Discipline
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing the
Department
Organizing by
Function or Purpose
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Core Operational Strategies
1. Preventive patrol
2. Routine incident response – minor
traffic, order, reports
3. Emergency response
4. Criminal investigation
5. Problem solving
6. Support services – dispatch, training,
records, property control
How are police departments organized?
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Department Organization
Chief
Chaplin
Assistant
Chief
Training
Community
Relations
Assistant
Chief
Administration
Polygraph
Drug Unit
Patrol
CID
Records
Traffic
Analysis
Support
Services
Section A
Juvenile
Supply
Day Watch
Investigation
Night Watch
Section B
Day Watch
Night Watch
SRO
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing the
Department
Organizing by
Personnel
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Organizing by Personnel
• Civil Service System – method of
hiring and managing government
employees
– Designed to eliminate political
influence, nepotism, bias
– 1883 Pendleton Act – federal jobs
– 95% of all gov’t employees covered
– Difficult to fire employees
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing by Personnel
• Quasi-Military organization
– Strict lines of authority
– Uniforms
– Rank
– Weapons
– Authorized by law to use force
– Different:
• warriors vs. community figures
• police limited by state & con law
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing by Personnel
• Sworn vs. non-sworn (Civilian)
– Sworn: peace officers
• Under oath to uphold laws and
constitution
• Power to arrest under probable cause
– Citizens arrest requires violation to happen in
arrestors presence
– Civilian: operators, dispatchers,
payroll, technical jobs, lab workers
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing by Personnel
• Rank Structure:
– Peace Officer – patrol officer
– Corporal – promotion, FTO
– Sergeant – 1st supervisor, makes field
decisions
• Over squad (6-10 officers)
• One per zone or per shift (size a factor)
– Lieutenant – over all operations at time
of shift, usually over platoon
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing by Personnel
• Rank Structure:
– Detective – has own rank structure but
usually has rank over others at crime
scene
– Captain – over area of administration
– Assistant Chief – in some depts.
– Chief – Head of dept.
• Usually appointed by mayor or selected
by commissioners
How are police departments organized?
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Rank
Chief
Assistant Chief
Or Captain
Assistant Chief
Or Captain
Assistant Chief
Or Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Corporal
Rookie
Officer
Officer
Officer
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing by Personnel
• Civilianization – process of of
removing sworn officers from tasks
and replacing them with civilians
– Reduce costs
– 25% of staff
– Most jobs seen as punishment by
officers
– Parking tickets, past crime reports,
some investigative functions (CSI)
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing by Personnel
• Police Reserves/Auxiliaries
–
–
–
–
Part time - “summertime cops”
Sometimes not paid
Non-regular but sworn officer
Regular police powers
• Some volunteers do not - retirees
– A way to keep powers when no
longer in regular position
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing the
Department
Organizing by Area
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Organizing by Area
• Beats/Posts – smallest
– Foot, patrol units
• Sectors/Zones – group of beats
• Precincts – grouping of Zones
– Mostly larger departments
– Station House – one per precinct
• Has jail, locker room, offices
• Booking desk
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing the
Department
Organizing by Time
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Organizing by Time
• Three Tour System – three 8
hour shifts
–Morning watch – 12-8am
–Day watch – 8-4pm
–Evening watch – 4-12am
–Numerous variations – 12 hour
shifts
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing by Time
• Holidays are not assigned, it depends
on the day assigned
– Assigned, transfer available by seniority
• Rotating tours – day – evening –
morning
• Fixed/Steady tours – stay same
• Traditionally – cops were assigned in
even #s
– today many are assigned by need
How are police departments organized?
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Organizing the
Department
Wrap Up
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Organizing the Department
• All are methods are used to
organize department
• Every department is different
How are police departments organized?
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Post 9/11
Challenge & Change
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New Age of Policing Post 9/11
• Traditionally terrorism and intelligence
was a federal responsibility
• Terrorism response is now a local
expectation
– Why do you think local is better?
• Intelligence gathering is also a local
priority
– Terrorism is also FBI #1 priority
How are police departments organized?
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New Age of Policing Post 9/11
• Community Policing is also a part of
the response – education, networks
• Task forces and “boundaryless”
policing seeks to streamline
intelligence
How are police departments organized?
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Terrorist Goals
•
•
•
•
•
Mass causalities
Loss of critical resources
Disruption of vital services
Disruption of the economy
Individual and mass panic
How are police departments organized?
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Terrorist Weapons
•
•
•
•
•
Biological
Nuclear
Incendiary
Chemical
Explosive
How are police departments organized?
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Biological Weapons
• Targets: People, animals, crops
• Routes of exposure: Inhalation, ingestion,
absorption
Agents:
• May take days or weeks to be confirmed.
• May spread far beyond initial
contamination point.
• Considered high risk.
How are police departments organized?
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Nuclear Weapons
• Much different than conventional
weapons:
– Many casualties
– Very large area affected
– Long-term health effects
• Considered relatively low risk
How are police departments organized?
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Radiation Dispersal Devices
• Conventional explosive with radioactive
element
• Radiological materials readily available
• Considered moderate to high risk
How are police departments organized?
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Incendiary Devices
•
•
•
•
Used to initiate combustion
Easy to make
Easy to use
Considered high risk/low impact
How are police departments organized?
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Chemical Agents
• Components readily available
• Onset of symptoms from immediate
to 18 hours
• Considered moderate risk
How are police departments organized?
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Conventional Explosives
• Terrorists “weapons of choice”
• Can be:
– Military munitions
– Improvised explosive devices
• Considered high risk
How are police departments organized?
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What Is the Risk?
How are police departments organized?
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B-NICE Indicators
Environmental indicators:
• Sick or dead animals, fish, or birds
• Unscheduled spraying
• Vapor clouds or mists
• Absence of crops, wildlife, or insects
How are police departments organized?
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B-NICE Indicators
Physical indicators:
• Many casualties without signs of
obvious trauma
• Victims who are exhibiting similar
symptoms
• Large numbers seeking medical
attention
How are police departments organized?
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Establishing Zones
Wind
Direction
“Cold Zone”
Safe Area
“Warm Zone”
Evacuation & Decontamination Area
“Hot Zone”
Incident
Contaminated
Area
How are police departments organized?
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Agency Administration
How are police departments
organized?
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Dirty War
Now What?
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Dirty War Assignment
• You are on the Mayors Crisis Team
• You have 30 minutes to come up with
a plan to respond to the situation in
the movie
• Write a summary of suggestions
• Anticipate where your major problems
are going to be!
How are police departments organized?
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