LASA 1: Patrol Allocation Decisions

LASA 1: Patrol Allocation Decisions

A major challenge for any police administrator is to determine how to allocate the limited resources of the police department to meet the law enforcement needs of the community being served. There is no facet of policing that better demonstrates this challenge than the patrol function. An administrator must not only assess the purpose and capability of the patrol function within the department, but also determine what the patrol will look like in the community, and when and where it will do so. Everyone would like to see a cop drive down their street from time to time. But does everyone need a cop in their neighborhood? What purpose and interests are being served by having patrol officers in one area of town instead of another? Does it make sense to saturate some areas with coverage, even if other areas will go unpatrolled? These are the real choices confronting police chiefs and sheriffs today.

Instructions:

In this assignment, assume the role of an assistant chief in the Centervale Police Department (CPD). The police chief has asked you to develop a position paper to reflect a patrol strategy for the department which will best serve the needs of Centervale. The chief wants you to consider everything you know about the effectiveness of preventive patrol, directed patrol, broken windows theory, notions of fairness and equity, and other considerations you deem important.

Here are some basic facts about Centervale that will help guide your patrol strategy:

Centervale is a fairly large, suburban, working class community near a major American city. Your police department includes 100 patrol officers.
50% of the population lives north of the railroad tracks; 50% lives south of the railroad tracks.
80% of the crime occurs north of the railroad tracks; 20% occurs south of the tracks.
20% of the tax base can be found north of the railroad tracks; 80% is south of the tracks (that is, most of the money paying for town services is generated in the south).
Crime rates in town go up significantly at night; however, the population of the town goes up significantly during the day (due to an influx of reverse commuters and vibrant retail activity).
On average, it takes ten minutes for an officer to arrive to a call when dispatched from the south side of town to the north, or vice versa; however, on average it takes only five minutes to arrive to a call when the officer is already on the correct side of the tracks for the call.
What You Need to Do . . .

Write a 3-4 page position paper for the chief’s consideration which outlines your belief as to how patrol resources should be allocated in Centervale. In other words, where and when would you place your patrol officers in the community?

Further, justify your approach based on current research and existing literature about preventive and directed patrol, notions of fairness and equity, the importance of response times, and any other considerations you deem important.

In any case, cite at least two additional sources of information beyond the assigned readings. Feel free to make additional assumptions about conditions within Centervale that are not presented in the assignment (for example, the type of crime that is prevalent in the city). However, if you do so, make sure you state those assumptions up front in your assignment as a note to the instructor.

Assignment Criteria:

In your paper, be sure to demonstrate:

An understanding of current research regarding police patrol functions
The meaning of preventive patrol, directed patrol, broken windows, and/or other patrol models
An understanding of competing legitimate interests within the community and a rational approach toward reconciling these interests despite limited resources
Clear, concise writing which reflects critical thinking skills

Peak, K. (03/2008). Policing America, 6th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://digitalbookshelf.argosy.edu/#/books/0558113265/
This assignment represents 30% of your total course work and measures the following learning outcome:
CLO3- Conduct advanced research on several current and emerging IS technologies and show how they can improve both operational and strategic decision making.
Research Topic : Information security systems for the enterprise
Project Description
In the capacity of a CIO of a fast growing organization, you are looking to select a technology for your enterprise (related to the context of your research topic). You need to investigate your topic in order to recommend a system/technology solution to be used in the organization. For your assigned topic:
1-Study the marketplace and shortlist three leading software technologies in this space
2-Evaluate the shortlisted software technologies by means of comparison, covering at least the following areas: Functionality, Technology, Company, Financials.
1) Functionality
– Compare feature and functionality module by module
-Compare the ability/flexibility of the system to accommodate customers business processes

2) Technology
– Compare the Technical Features such as Open vs. Close Platform, Security, Reporting, ease of modification/customization, ease of use, ease of Implementation, availability of implementation and support resources
3) Company
– Compare the company/vendor strengths and weaknesses, including public vs. private, financial
strength, years in business, number of employees working on the system, number of successful implementations, number of failed implementation, etc.
4) Financials
– Compare the TCO of the System over a period of 5 years including Software, Hardware,
Networking, Implementation Cost, Maintenance cost and Operations cost

1. General Format of your project paper Cover page
Title
Date
Name, student number and email of each group member Name of the course
Name of the professor
Introduction
This section summarizes the objectives of your project. For industry projects, it should include the organization’s mission, strategy and the element that will be analyzed in the project. It should also include the past and recent facts to support the significance of the research topic (maximum 1 page).
Topic Statement
In this section you are expected to describe in detail the context of the research. You will also highlight the questions that, in your opinion, are important for the field of the course and that need answers. In this section you will show a clear understanding of the topic you chose. (about 1/2 page)
Methodology
This section describes and justifies the methods you selected to conduct your research. For instance, in the case of an empirical project based on questionnaire you will be required to describe the sample’s characteristics (average age, gender representation, number of employees, questionnaire used, and all other important characteristics). In the case of focused group interviews, describe the approach used. (about 1/2 – 1 page) etc.
Results
This section will contain all the pertinent findings such as statistical information, process models, simulation results or interview content. (1-2 pages)
Discussion
This section is very important as it reveals your advanced knowledge and critical thinking skills. You will essentially analyze the results of your study. You will show a clear understanding of the nature and significance of your findings. Discussions should be supported by grounded theory (about 1-2 pages).
Recommendations
Based upon the advanced critical analysis of your findings you will be required to provide recommendations that, in your opinion, will help improve the field. Justify why the solution is innovative (about 1-2 pages)
Conclusion:
This section contains the summary of your findings. (about 1/2 – 1 page)
Bibliography
A list of the readings, books, articles, internet documents etc, used for the research project. Use the standards as suggested in your student handbook. Resources should be scientific and should not include Wikipedia, or Internet content without references.

Guidelines for your report submission

• Papers are to be typed (use a word processor, Times New Roman with font size 12) and single-spaced with double spacing between headings and paragraphs.

• The paper should run 12 to 15 pages inclusive of everything.

• One page should cover title, project authors and abstract.

• Abstract: The abstract summarizes your research. It will include the objectives, methodology and the findings. (about 150-300 words)

• All references must be cited in the bibliography and in the paper. Use a variety of sources for information and arguments. If you use articles from the Web, give the URL and the organization sponsoring the site. There’s a lot of junk and unsupported opinion on the Web. Pay attention to quality of your sources. You need to cite at least 8 journal/conference MIS papers, at least 2 books, at least 4 web resources.

• For any additional information you may add an appendix page (last) to specify the date(s) and location(s) of the interview(s) for example and list all people present at the interview(s). (if applicable)

• The document must be submitted to Turn-it-in on Moodle. Format of your report can be as a DOC, PDF or zipped file, with the file name MBA647 Group# Title.doc (or .pdf or .zip accordingly), where # is your Group number and Title the title of the component. All relevant documents should be included if it is a zipped file. For example: Group1 would submit their work for the research project in the suitable file format:
MBA647-Group1-ResearchProjectTitle.(DOC/PDF ZIP/)

Presentation of your work • •
In additional to your report paper, you need to prepare a brief oral presentation (10-15 min max) to show your work. See the guidelines for a PPT presentation uploaded on Moodle.
Presentation Rubrics:
Form and style of presenting: use of time, animation, eye contact..
Communication skills: quality of communicating in English, vocabulary Presentation tools: quality of PPTs, visual ads, charts
Content: quality of content, assumptions, theory…
Questions: ability to answer questions, defend ideas

Evaluation Criteria
This assignment represents 30% of your total score. The Grade distribution is as follows:
– Structure and Organization (Format) [5pts] (The skeleton of your document: Table of contents, Introduction, Body of Project (Sections when necessary), Conclusion, References, transition between sections smooth and coordinated, clearness of the organization)
– Content and Value [12pts] (Introduction, Analysis, Solution, Conclusion; the relation between the project contents and the title(scope) of the project, evidence of research, Insight and scientific value of the project, clear expressed ideas).
– Style and Language (Writing skills) [5pts] (Format of output, proper cover page, headings, consistent formatting and styling of the document (police, fonts, spacing) appropriate use of appendix, correct grammar )
– References [3pts] (adequate and appropriate in-text referencing, consisting referencing, in-text references match reference in the reference (bibliography) list )
– Presentation [5pts] (Clarity of presentation, use of appropriate visual aids, engaging audience, respecting the allocated time frame, team cohesion and most importantly the ability to answer questions), group and individual grading. See presentation rubrics on Moodle.
Deadline and Submission media
– Deadline: Week 8 of your course.
– A hard copy as well as a soft copy (of both your report and your presentation) should be provided.
– Softcopies should be uploaded on course Moodle Turn-it-in assignment link.
– Reports submitted prior to deadline or on-time, are subject to a bonus as token of appreciation. Late work will be marked, but the mark for this submission is capped at a bare pass (equivalent to 50%). Note that the email or Moodle records the date and time of each submission. This date and time will be used to determine whether work has been submitted after the deadline.
PLAGIARISM WARNING
Clearly mention your sources and references. Turn-it-in software will be used to detect Plagiarism. Any
case of detected plagiarism will result in zero for the whole group project.
FYI- Reminder: Cheating & Plagiarism Policy (in your Syllabus): Cheating or plagiarizing in examinations, tests, quizzes or assignments will not be tolerated. All instances of cheating or plagiarizing shall be documented, presented to the Chair/Dean of the program and to the Registrar, and recorded in the student’s file. Any student found to be plagiarizing on any homework or quiz will be assigned the grade of zero for that work. A second such offense or cheating or plagiarizing on an examination will result in an automatic suspension from the course with an F grade and further disciplinary measures, including possible suspension from the university. Any party to cheating or plagiarism is subject to exactly the same penalties. Please read the section on plagiarism in the student handbook.
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