NCJ Number
231810
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 77 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2010 Pages: 82-84,86,88,89
Date Published
August 2010
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the strategy used by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) in involving agency members, both civilian and commissioned, in focus groups that identified and rated priorities to be addressed in the community and the agency due to the economic downturn being experienced in the city and county.
Abstract
The focus groups first identified and prioritized community-wide issues that the LVMPD must address as a consequence of the economic downturn. The four top-rated issues in order were stress on the family leading to an increase in domestic violence; an increase in the unemployment rate; community support for agency cutbacks; and housing foreclosure rates that lead to more abandoned homes. This article describes how the LVMPD has allocated its resources to address these issues without a budget increase. The focus groups also identified and prioritized agency-wide issues. In the order of priority, these issues were employees in financial crisis, an increase in demand for police services, and the need for a centralized crisis response to employee needs. This article describes how the LVMP has addressed each of these issues in a concerted effort to ease the impact of the economic downturn on agency employees. Using a strategic planning process, the LVMP has begun to explore ways in which the agency can use its distinctive role in the community to design and implement a plan that addresses issues impacting both citizens and agency employees. 2 tables and 1 note