(SOLVED) Effective Police Supervision

Case Study Louis “Lou” Maynard Sergeant Department The Craigview PoliceDepartment bears a striking resemblance to many smaller police departments that arefound in the United States, and it has a rich history in a unique area of the state. Earlylaw enforcement activities were provided by the army and later the first marshal wasappointed as the community grew as a result of new residents coming in to work inagriculture, timber, and mining. With the influx of new residents a police force wascreated and charged with the enforcement of laws and protecting the community.Currently the police department has two major divisions: Field Operations and FieldSupport. Operations provides 24-hour protection to residents and their property. Theprimary objective of patrol is dual in nature—providing for security and renderingservices to residents and visitors. Operations is also responsible for traffic control, andparking on city streets overnight requires an annual parking permit. It also issuesovernight parking stickers for residents and visitors. This unit works four 10-hour shifts,and each patrol officer is assigned to a team that is supervised by a sergeant. The staffincludes six sergeants and 24 sworn officers who work within the city limits,encompassing approximately 22 square miles. Each patrol vehicle is equipped with amobile data computer, in-car digital video, and E-citation equipment. The head of patrolis constantly evaluating new technology that will aid and assist field officers. Downtownis a tourist attraction. One officer is assigned to foot or bike patrol of that area on theswing shift. Two other officers work at the local high school and a middle school asschool resource officers. During the last fiscal year the patrol unit responded to 39,831calls for service that resulted in approximately 4254 arrests, 9989 crime reports, and9981 collision reports. The Field Support Division encompasses a number of functionsincluding training, criminal investigation, volunteers, and a property section. Thisdivision, which has sworn and civilian personnel, is headed by a lieutenant and hasprimary responsibility for preparing the departmental budget. It also compiles trafficcriminal statistics. In this type of organizational arrangement, support is the key word.Everything is done to provide patrol with the tools and information it needs in order toperform effectively. Crime Craigview’s violent crime has gone up slightly in severalcategories, and aggravated assault has increased the most. There were 120 assaultslast year, as compared to the previous year when there were 109 such offensesreported. The preponderance of this increase seems to be caused by transients andvisitors. What has alarmed segments of the community is an increase in forcible rapesfrom three occurrences to a total of 21, as well as robberies that have increased from 61to 77. For both types of incidents it is a new high going back more than 10 years. It isnot known for sure, but it seems to be the action of a gang that has been organizedrecently, and this is a new phenomenon for the community. Considerable considerationis being given to how these occurrences can be better policed. Property crime isrelatively high for a community of this size, with 1589 offenses reported. Larceny/theftincidents occurred 771 times and burglaries occurred 564 times during the last year,which is a slight increase. Burglaries have been relatively stable over the last five years.

Motor vehicle thefts occurred 164 times, compared to the previous year when therewere 154 occurrences. Many of these offenses in the latter category were committed byyouthful offenders, and joyriding occurred more often than not. There was no reason tobelieve that auto theft was an organized event. Community Craigview is a rather smallcommunity with a population of 26,312 and it is the largest city in the county. There aresix other smaller communities, and the greater part of the county is unincorporated.Geographically it is a coastal city. It is viewed as a special place to live, and it thrives onits small-town atmosphere. Numerous residents have lived in the city for severalgenerations, which provides considerable city and neighborhood stability. Many housesare situated on tree-lined streets, and there are few fences that separate the houses.This has proven to be a major attraction for those who are interested in a smallcommunity atmosphere. During the last decade, retirees in particular have found thecommunity to be a great place to live. There are numerous small neighborhood parks, alarge community hall for cultural and educational programs, as well as a senior center.Additionally, there is a year-round family swimming center that is used by manyresidents. There is a new high school that is centrally located. It provides academicclasses as well as trade courses such as automobile repair, and has a strong orientationto the computer and communications world. There is exceptional support for fine arts.The teachers enjoy their work, and the community strongly supports their efforts. In thedowntown area there is a small center for artists where they can exhibit their work. Thecity has a shopping mall with numerous small stores that cater to the tourist trade, and ayouth center near the mall has numerous programs for youths. The community has avaried tax base, with shopping and numerous small manufacturing companies. There isa weak mayor, five members of the city council who represent specific geographicalwards, and also a city manager. At council meetings residents are allowed to presenttheir views. There is a free exchange of ideas and opinions at the meetings, and themembers of the city council work diligently at problem resolution. The local televisionstation broadcasts the meetings. Officer Louis “Lou” Maynard entered law enforcementafter returning from Iraq, where he served a nine-month tour and, though he was incombat areas, he returned physically unscathed. He remained in his National Guardunit as a sergeant in an engineer company. He has five years remaining to complete hismilitary obligation. Prior to being on active duty with the military, he had worked as atruck driver and a bartender. After release from active duty, he applied for a position inthe Craigview Police Department, was accepted, and placed as number three on thecandidate list. He was hired and completed the academy, where he graduated fourth inhis class. After his field training, he was placed on a team on the 4/10 swing shift—thebusiest shift in the department. Maynard is 27 years old, married, and has one child whois three years old. His family lives in a house that he inherited from his mother.Additionally, they both have numerous relatives who live in the region. Lou and his wifewent to the same schools in the community. Lou is low key and fits well into the policingenvironment. He gets along with peers, subordinates, and those of higher rank. Hismilitary service helped him to adjust to the department. After four years he took thesergeant examination and had no difficulty on the written exam or the orals. He was