Chapter 9

Question 1

What is strategic thinking and strategic planning

Answer 1

Strategic planning is a leadership tool and a process; it is primarily used for one purpose: to help an organization do a better job- to focus its energy, ensure that members of the organization are working toward the same goals, and assess and adjust an organization’s direction in response to a changing environment.

Effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future.

History begins in the military- goal is to aim to achieve competitive advantage.

-Oriented towards future
-Thorough analysis of foreseen or predicted trends
-Analyzes the organization, internal and external environment
-Qualitative, idea driven process
-Continuous learning process
-When successful, it influences all areas of operation, becoming a part of the organizations philosophy and culture.

Question 2

Explain the roles of chief executives, middle managers (captains and lieutenants), and first line supervisors in the planning and implementation of problem oriented policing?

Answer 2

Police executives recognize the fact that first-line supervisors are responsible for implementation and ensuring policy compliance of the operational units. However, if the middle managers are not properly prepared and informed by the executive, they will fail to provide supervisors with the rationale for organizational renewal, hampering implementation by the supervisors. It is important to recognize that the rate of change is not primarily driven by operational procedures but rather by the emotional commitment to, or ownership of, the vision. Middle managers must excite change in supervisors, and this can only happen when the middle managers believe in the vision and are excited about the change.

Question 3

Review the roles of detectives and patrol personnel in its planning and implementation

Answer 3

Detectives: valuable intelligence information gained by detectives through investigations can be fed to the patrol division. Detectives must believe that crime prevention is their principal obligation and not the exclusive responsibility of the patrol force. Can also establish positive working relationships with victim advance groups, civic organizations, police district advisory councils, and other stakeholders in the system. Can encourage victims to follow through with prosecutions, engage in the follow up investigations, and even devise a rudimentary witness protection unit, with impressive outcomes.

Patrol Personnel: TOP PRIORITY- it encourages many of the activities that patrol officers would like to do, that is, to engage in more inquiry of crime and disorder and get more closure from their work. Makes policing more rewarding.

Question 4

Describe Lewin’s force field analysis and how it functions in anticipating and planning for resistance to change

Answer 4

force field analysis: analyzing sources of support and resistance

Kurt Lewin’s force field analysis was developed in 1951 as a tool to understand people, situations, and conditions better. The analysis comprises the driving forces and restraining forces behind a subject. Driving forces cause change, and resisting forces pull the subject back to the current state.

Question 5

Delineate some of the major considerations that would come into play if you were to be assigned with developing a plan for transitioning your police agency to a problem oriented policing strategy

Answer 5

1. What kinds of training- for both sworn and non sworn personnel?
2. What kinds of technologies must be obtained for performing the necessary crime analyses?
3. How much regular and overtime staffing will be required, particularly during the initial phase of initiative? What forms, web sites, brochures, and other informational and communications resources will be required?
4. If there are not enough funds available, how will the additional funding needed be obtained? What resources providers exist (ex: social services)
5. How will you inform and train your elected officials and all members of your police agency about the transition to a problem oriented policing?
6. By which dates will the above and other implementation tasks be accomplished and responsibilities assigned to staff members for carrying out the tasks? VERY IMPORTANT STEP- DEVELOP TIMELINE AND Gantt chart

Question 6

Delineate some of the major considerations that would come into play if you were to be assigned to address a major problem solving project.

Answer 6

1. Define the target population: who is to be served or changed? Would it be best to perform a community or neighborhood silvery? Other than providing order maintenance in the area, what other needs exist that must be addressed (ex: level of fear of crime among residents) and what are the characteristics of intended clients (age, gender, etc).
2. Defining program components: the precise nature, amount, and sequence of service provided must be specified. Who does that to whom, in what order, and how much?
3. Determining what we need to know: are there POP guide covering this particular problem? Are other activities required (ex: series of neighborhood meetings)?
4. Determining whether new legislation is going to be required, such as laws concerning curfew, cruising, etc
5. Determining who will write job descriptions for the officers who will have their “boots on the ground” and what kind of knowledge, skills, and abilities must they possess for the particular problem to be addressed
6. Establishing how many and what kind of staff are required to operate the problem solving intervention: what specific duties will they carry out? What kinds of qualifications do they need? Ho much money is needed for regular as well as overtime deployment?

Question 7

True or false:
Private individuals have no opportunity- or need- to engage in strategic planning for living their own lives.

Answer 7

False

Question 8

True or false:
Strategic planning for government agencies must always be complex, thus it is best to outsource those efforts.

Answer 8

False

Question 9

True or false:
A forward thinking perspective for police agencies’ strategic planning efforts would including considering such areas as hurting, budgeting, transportation, technology, and the law.

Answer 9

True

Question 10

True or false:
A police agency’s transitioning to community oriented policing and problem solving strategy only involves higher ranking, sworn personnel with the department.

Answer 10

False

Question 11

True or false:
A particularly useful technique for analyzing sources of support and resistance for change is the force field analysis.

Answer 11

True