It is almost impossible to recognize law enforcement policies from the 80s, 90s, and the last decade when compared with what is in place currently. A lot has changed, and immigration, terrorism, along with a resurgent civil service has changed law enforcement by such a large extent. It is important to note that current street cops spend only about 15% of their time attending to actual law enforcement such as responding to 911 calls. Most of their time is spent engaged in quality-of-life policing (Stevens, 2009). Thus, this paper will provide a new approach to the recruitment, selection and training process; as well as an effective performance management and reward system that suits this new law enforcement.
There have been numerous attempts to perfect the selection process over the years; however, it is surprising that there are deficiencies in the training and the recruitment process. Some counties have fully implemented the use of e-learning in training among other advances. E-learning is used to complement the standard training that takes place in the gymnasium and classroom (Mugford, Corey & Bennell, 2013). It is important to note that e-learning does not replace the traditional learning; it only complements and gives the training a different edge.
Canada should serve as an example of proper e-learning implementation in law enforcement. Between 2007 and 2009, members of the Canada police force completed more than 8100 courses online. These were not just basic topics, and they comprised of various topics including fatigue management and explosives. Computer simulations are now a common means of training and preparing officers for the job. Such training initiatives have the potential to enhance public safety and benefit the law enforcement. Theory-informed training stands to also develop a team of officers that fully understand the scope of the law which they intend to implement (Mugford, Corey & Bennell, 2013).
The current police force has an efficient performance management system in place, albeit with some deficiencies. Since 1981, police departments use early warning systems to find problem officers. In recent years, most agencies use a performance management information system that addresses both conduct and performance issues. Such a system is a data-intensive management tool. It is used to isolate officers who, due to conduct or performance, are at risk prompting an intervention to address the root cause of that behavior (Nicholson-Crotty, 2004).
A PMIS executes two specific functions. First it identifies the officers that are at risk. It accomplishes this through an analysis of data that might point out potential misbehavior and performance concerns. This includes data such as complaints, number of arrests, absenteeism etc. From there the management intervenes and the officer is assisted through either counseling or training to rectify whatever behavior is causing poor performance issues. However, the current system fails to monitor and gauge whether the intervention was successful. Furthermore, the system should take up a 360-degree appraisal system where evaluations are made based on feedback from team members, supervisors, arrested offenders, and co-workers in the force. Also, the correction agencies that don’t put into use PIMS need to develop a proper method of implementing it (Aguinis, 2009).
Law enforcement agencies provide very desirable salaries, health insurance, and retirement programs. In fact, according to Cauchon (2012), law enforcement officers who are retired form the largest group of professionals who receive more than $100,000 including pensions. However, benefits are rarely awarded based on performance and merit. Promotions in law enforcement are awarded by the senior officials who are influenced by external forces. This can be due to political influence or social status. Rewards and benefits should also be practice equality across all demographics, especially towards women who seem to be overlooked in law enforcement.
Career development is also a crucial part of law enforcement. The agencies should develop a universal career development program. Such a program would foster the enhancement of knowledge, personal skills, as well as the ability of individual officers. This will ensure that they perform department tasks successfully. Such a program has to be voluntary, but it has to highlight the opportunity for growth of all individual participants at many levels. Career development often leads to an improved job performance and satisfaction. This career improvement program will further the professional growth of the employees as well as their capabilities in future positions (Stevens, 2009).
To conclude, current law enforcement faces managerial, economic, and legal challenges on a daily basis. New human resource practices in regards to selection, recruitment, and training stand to prepare new officers for these new challenges. Further, an effective reward and performance management system along with a career development program can serve as a means for improving the job performance of current officers. The training programs should pick up e-learning that has proven to be very effective for the Canadian police force (Mugford, Corey & Bennell, 2013). The current PIMS should be remodeled to include the correction agencies as well as a 360 degree appraisal system to make evaluations. In addition, the rewards system should be improved to improve the job satisfaction of the officers (Aguinis, 2009).
References
Aguinis, H. (2009). Performance management. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Cauchon, D. (2012). Some federal pensions pay handsome rewards. USA TODAY. Retrieved 13 February 2015, from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/perfi/retirement/story/2012-07-19/federal-pensions-in-excess-of-100-thousand/57059716/1
Mugford, R., Corey, S., & Bennell, C. (2013). Improving police training from a cognitive load perspective. Policing: An International Journal Of Police Strategies & Management, 36(2), 312-337. doi:10.1108/13639511311329723
Nicholson-Crotty, S. (2004). Public Management and Organizational Performance: The Case of Law Enforcement Agencies. Journal Of Public Administration Research And Theory, 14(1), 1-18. doi:10.1093/jopart/muh001
Stevens, D. (2009). An introduction to American policing. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
