NCJ Number
156209
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 62 Issue: 7 Dated: (July 1995) Pages: 50-52
Date Published
1995
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Challenges presented by the administration of a small police agency are explored.
Abstract
This article explores the issues faced by small police agency administrators. Specifically, these issues include: lack of time to function as pure administrators; lack of manpower to whom responsibilities can be delegated, resulting in scheduling problems; a tendency to train generalists rather than specialists; an absence of interaction among officers; and a lack of flexibility of job assignments for officers. The Zeeland, Ohio Police Department is used as an example of a typical small, full-service police agency. The background of this department is provided as are the Department's efforts to address specific problems while enhancing the Department's ability to serve the community. This Department's efforts have shown that cooperative efforts with surrounding departments and innovative scheduling for officers are essential. Cost-effective in-service training can be provided by establishing a training consortium, while funding source alternatives for specialty or nontraditional police training need to be cultivated. A chart, provided by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, presents police and sheriffs' departments, nationwide, by size and type of agency, for 1992. Footnotes