NCJ Number
172563
Date Published
1996
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Given the burgeoning of information technology that has the potential to impact every area of policing, the police administrator must develop a plan that provides for consistency in applications and allows for input toward future growth.
Abstract
Information technologies will impact virtually every level of some law enforcement organizations, from crime scene reconstruction to tactical attack plans in emergency situations. All of this information would be available at the remote and onsite location. Police administrators must have a firm grasp on how much change is needed to accommodate the benefits of information technology and how much change to impose upon the organization. The key will be the ongoing strategic planning for the implementation of these technologies. The frequency of change demands that police managers find innovative ways to maintain stability in their organization while providing flexibility to adapt to the new technologies. The best game plan is to prepare, plan, manage, and direct these new technologies as they arrive. Further, police leaders will need to increase their computer sophistication; develop clear visions of what the institution should be; understand the organization's interaction with its outside environment; and create flexible organizational structures to manage the work required, the information, and the people. Other management tasks required include the publishing of strategic plans, the creation of formal and informal networks, keeping the organization in a constant learning mode, and ensuring that decisions are made based on sources of information and not rank. A 10-item bibliography and 26 notes