Debate: Police and Civilian Budget Preparation

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Debate: Police and Civilian Budget Preparation
Police departments that train their police officers to complete financial reports and prepare budget make better reports and budgets because these officers have in-depth knowledge of what they need from their experiences both in the field and the office. The police officers understand their workload (Eimicke et al. 27), can maintain secrecy in their jobs unlike civilians, and with financial knowledge, they can shift careers.
Therefore, I support the notion of training police officers to complete financial reports and preparing budgets, because they know their needs, unlike the civilians who cannot make proper budgets that would address the policing needs despite their degrees.
Supporting Arguments for Police Officers in Budget Preparation
In-depth Knowledge of Policing Needs
The sworn-in police officers have knowledge of what police officers need to accomplish their duties. The officers acquire knowledge from handling equipment on a daily basis in the field and in the process of investigation and securing civilians’ lives and property.

Ease of Training the Sworn Officers in Budget Preparation
With a little training, the sworn officers can accomplish the financial reporting and budget preparation. Furthermore, they can be trained whiles still on-the-job from consultants and superiors in the sector.
The sworn officers are prone to life-threatening situations and suffer injuries that may hinder them from doing fieldwork.

Thus financial reporting and budget preparation training would enable them to work at desk jobs whenever they are injured and also enable them to change careers.
Maintenance of Confidentiality of Cases and Tactics
Policing is a sensitive matter and often involves using new tactics and measures to protect the community. The sworn officers would never share these secrets and tactics with civilians which may lead to harming other officers and the general public.
Economic Sense
The police departments can save a lot of money through the use of police officers to handle financial reporting and budget preparation. Employing and at times sub-contracting civilian increases the overall police budget in salaries and benefits accorded to them.
While civilians work within the police department, they also increase overhead costs as they may need things like extra space to include their desks, tea during breaks and appliances like computers.
Officers Understand the Workload
Sworn-in officers understand their workload, using the stored information they understand times and seasons when crime increases in specific locations hence factor in these needs in their annual financial report and budget.
These officers know when to include overtimes and consultancy fees because they understand their workload and the changing seasons and all these are included in the budget thus avoiding chances of budget constraints.
Civilians are trained in financial reporting, and budget preparation hence can do a better job once employed to handle the task (Cordner 593). They are also able to fully concentrate on the task and create accurate and better reports and budgets. As professionals in finance, the civilians can maintain confidentiality at work and also ease the workload of officers who put their efforts in law enforcement (Gupton 97).
I support using civilians for financial reporting and budget preparation in the police departments in the face of budget cuts across law enforcement agencies. The civilians are also well trained and experts in the field, hence producing high-quality work.
Supporting Arguments against Police Officers in Budget Preparation
Concentrate on Tasks
The civilians are employed to do financial reporting and budget preparation, and since this is their sole assignment they would do a better job as they concentrate on it alone.
As the civilians have a singular task, they can do research and gain insight into the needs of the officers and include them during preparation. They can talk to officers in the police station or do online research to find out what they need and include that in the budgets.
Reduction of Workload for Officers
Using civilians for budget preparation reduces the workload for the police officers who then can concentrate on their major role in protecting the public. The officers no longer have to juggle between budget preparations and law enforcement. And with reduced administrative tasks, the officers performed well in their duties, since all the efforts and concentrated on police work.
Better Skilled and Trained
The civilians who are employed are experts in the field of financial reporting and budget preparation. These attributes enable them to produce high-quality work and in the end, means the police departments also perform well.
The civilians can also be used to train police officers in budget preparation. They can share this knowledge which would help the officers whenever they want to shift careers.
Cost Effectiveness
Slashed local budgets have compelled police departments to engage the services of civilians to handle administrative duties and retain sworn officers to focus on law enforcement. If the officers do both administrative and police tasks, the police departments may need more officers which is expensive regarding salaries.
Exhibit Professionalism
The civilians, though not sworn are bound by ethics and as trained professionals; they can maintain the secrecy of the job, the tactics, and trends adopted by the police officers in law enforcement. And as part of the society, they also work to ensure a secure location, hence reinforce and contribute to the work of police officers in enforcing the law.
Works Cited
Cordner, Gary W.  Police administration Routledge, 2016
Eimicke, William B., et al. “Enhancing the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Police Services in Schenectady.” (2011).
Gupton, Herbert M., et al. “Support and sustain: Psychological intervention for law enforcement personnel.” The Police Chief78.8 (2011): 92-97.