Rebuilding the Image of Ourtown Police Department

Rebuilding the Image of Ourtown Police Department
Student’s Name
Institution’s Name
Abstract
The enforcement of the law by police officers is a critical aspect of the rule of law. Cooper (2015), postulates that the lack of efficient law enforcement services results in difficulties concerning attaining long-term peace, and security. Among the suggested signs of the successful reestablishment of the law enforcement in the municipalities that are conflicted include reform, strengthening the law and its re-establishment. As the result of conflict the population of our town municipality currently has no confidence in the police department about its capacity to offer reliable and adequate safety and security services. This report will use the SARA model to reveal that effective policing could be used to restore public order, and also assist in the restoration of public trust and confidence in the department’s capacity to protect and govern the residents. The method will be implemented in community partnerships to assist the Ourtown Police department to build trust and good rapport among the disadvantaged neighborhood in which they provide services.
Keywords: law, conflict, police,
Rebuilding the Image of Our Town Police Department
The enforcement of the law by police officers gets regarded as a critical aspect of the rule of law. Researchers observe that most times, conflicted societies experience the dysfunction of the police department as well as the inadequacies associated with obeying the law.

According to Weitzer (2015), these inadequacies, in turn, result in increased rates of crime, reduced regard for the law, and in general, significant declines of safety alongside the deterioration of the internal security of the nation. Cooper (2015), postulates that the lack of adequate law enforcement services results in difficulties concerning attaining long-term peace, and security.
This review details the process that will be used by the Ourtown police department towards accomplishing its mission of rebuilding the image of the police in the disadvantaged communities. Among the suggested signs of the successful reestablishment of the law enforcement in the municipalities that are conflicted include reform, strengthening the law and its re-establishment (Weitzer, 2015). Together, the tenets mentioned above could be used to regain the municipalities’ momentum during the restoration of peace and in the efforts of rebuilding the image of the police, as well as public trust.
As a result of conflicts, the population of Ourtown municipality currently has no confidence in the police department about its capacity to offer reliable and efficient safety and security services. This report will use the SARA model to reveal that effective policing could be used to restore public order, and also assist in the restoration of public trust and confidence in the department’s capacity to protect and govern the residents.
Community-Oriented Policing
The report suggests the use of community-based policy to attain the mission described above. This form of policing gets described as the culmination of previous research in the realm of criminology that focuses on shifting the attention of police services from reaction towards action. Researchers reveal that previous model used for policing required the police departments to invest heavily on the resources and the labor to respond to crimes (Cook, 2014). On the other hand, the problem solving type of policing and its tenets insists on the development of healthy relationships to reduce and prevent crime.
The suggested community based policing is based on two fundamental components: solving problems and the establishment of partnerships within the community. The Ourtown police department will use these two components to build strong collaborations among the law enforcers, officials of the government, and the community leaders with the objective of identifying, alongside evaluating the security problems that exist within the community. The components will also be used to determine the mechanisms that should be put in place to restore the public trust in the department, especially for the disadvantaged communities.
The report suggests the use of community–based policing because the framework considers the perception of the law enforcers, and also the needs, and the expectations of the members of the local communications in the development of an appropriate and effective response. The method will be implemented in community partnerships to assist the Ourtown Police department to build trust and good rapport among the disadvantaged neighborhood in which they provide services. The method gets applied because it has previously proven to be effective in getting cooperation from the underprivileged communities that want little to do with the police department (Cook, 2014).
The SARA Model
The community based policing makes use of the SARA framework that is used by law enforcers to solve problems and establish long-lasting solutions. The SARA perspective is especially the case when dealing with the types of crime that their concern is changing viewpoints rather than the ones observed in the criminal justice system.
SARA describes the process of scanning, analyzing, responding and assessing crime. Weitzer (2015) asserts that SARA provides the fundamental steps necessary in the operations of solving problems as well as making decisions in the realm of law enforcement.
The team of the Ourtown police department will use the first component of scanning to identify the observable patterns in the problematic areas. For instance, the department will develop identity patterns in the victim’s reports, locations, and the manner in which the police treat suspects and the public, as well as the type of crimes that have taken place. To this end, they will be required to evaluate the problem, alongside ascertaining how the police and the external parties viewed the issue. At this stage, the department personnel will also establish how severe the problem was.
In the next step that entails analysis, the personnel will establish the primary causes of the problems. To this end, they will gather relevant information from various sources among them the criminal reports, and be interviewing the members of the disadvantaged communities Wilson, & Bose (2016) observe that the problems could stem from a wide array of sources among them how the community members perceive the police officers.
The third step based on the SARA model entails responding to the security needs and expectations of the residents of the municipality. For the aspirations to come to being, the trained personnel will collaborate with the public leaders with the objective of establishing, and further, implementing an effective as well as an appropriate response. The final step will entail the carrying out of frequent continuous assessments by the personnel. Cooper, (2015) asserts that the evaluations would be needed to assess how effective the solution is, while at the same time implement the appropriate changes.
Using this model, Ourtown Police Department coupled with other partners such as criminologists will establish an efficient way of collaborating, to create the primary causes of the crimes that take place in Ourtown municipality. The principles of the model will also ensure that the police officers develop durable solutions, while at the same time help in the rebuilding of the police image within the community.
Rebuilding the Image
The restoration of trust in the police force is among the fundamental objectives of this report. Wilson & Bose (2016) postulate that issues observed during the delivery of police services to the community such as weak ethical leadership, integrity, and the spread of an unethical culture within the department have played significant roles in reducing public trust. Other issues that have resulted in this scenario include lack of change, commitment, racism, inadequate governance, and the unavailability of the tools needed to make sustainable changes in the department.
When addressing the issues mentioned above, among other aspects of policing, this report suggests the use of the ACT framework that will address the critical components of accountability, consistency as well as transparency within the department with the objective of restoring public trust.
Concerning accountability, which is the willingness to be responsible; Weitzer (2015) asserts that it should be the first step to be established in the department. To this end, the report suggests that the team of officers gets trained on the best ways of conveying the expectations of the Ourtown police department, alongside ensuring that they establish reasonable goals and objectives. Training is necessary because they would not be expected to hold the members of the public accountable if they are irresponsible themselves. As such, the leaders of the police officers should ensure that the officers hold themselves responsible for the overall concerns of the community and emphasize on professionalism as well as integrity. Cook (2014) observes that failure to address the shortcomings of the irresponsible officers would create a situation whereby the other officers mimic their behavior resulting in more distrust from the public.
The team will also ensure that it provides consistent policing services to the residents. Weitzer (2015) observes that inconsistency among the officers amounts to the provision of arbitrary and selective service.
Lastly, in its effort to rebuild its image and restore public trust, the police officers will be asked to be transparent in the delivery of security services. Researchers reveal that public trust is an issue that affects all the parties involved (Wilson & Bose, 2016). Therefore, the report suggests that OurTown police department be an open book since with the objective of increasing public trust that would ultimately have a favorable effect on the rebuilding of the department’s image.
Personnel Selection
The team of police officers that will carry out this mission in the disadvantaged communities will get selected regarding their age, race, gender, and professionalism. The report suggests assigning police officers respective municipalities based on how well the members of the community will understand them. For instance, white police officers would be sent to the profoundly Caucasian regions while African Americans officers would be assigned the mostly black areas to ensure positive reception from the residents.
Personnel training
The personnel will receive appropriate training that will foster the accomplishment of the mission. First, they will all be trained to understand that they represent the police department and should act within the law when dealing with the public. Each officer will also be trained individually towards personal change. The officers will also be taught how to be more efficient, and reach their optimum potential while at the same time increasing their awareness of integrity and self–cultivation.
Site selection
The officers will choose the sites to visit based on how much the community is disadvantaged. In other words, the regions with the highest minority residents will get addressed first. Other criteria that will be used to select the site include the rates of crime.
Arranging and scheduling meetings
The team will meet every Tuesday morning to go over the mission, goals, and objectives. The leader will guide the team in developing new milestones each week. All Friday afternoons will be spent assessing the progress made thus far.
Although the reputation of a police department can be ruined in a short the process of rebuilding the image is a lengthy project that entails numerous steps and strategies. The residents of Ourtown municipality had become more resentful towards law enforcers and were not proud of the services that they received. With this in mind, the Ourtown police department took up the challenge of restoring public trust with the aim of rebuilding its image in the municipality. This report outlines the steps that will be taken by the department to this end. Although it is difficult to overcome all the negativity within the community, it is imperative to understand that specific issues could be controlled to rebuild the image of the department in Ourtown municipality. This report suggests the utilization of SARA and ACT frameworks in guiding the path of restoring the image of the department.
References
Cook, B. J. (2014). Bureaucracy and self-government: Reconsidering the role of public administration in American politics. Washington: HU Press.
Cooper, H. (2015). Ar on drugs policing and police brutality. Substance use & misuse, 1188-1194.
Weitzer, R. (2015). American policing under fire: Misconduct and reform. Society, 475-480.
Wilson, J. Q., J. J., & Bose, M. (2016). American government: Institutions and policies. New York: Cengage Learning.