English Composition I - C455 TASK 4

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Western Governors University *

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C455

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English

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Jan 9, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by ChefGoldfish3404

1 Elora Hicks English Composition I – Task 4 8/11/2023 There is a workforce crisis among police departments as of late. As officers quit or retire at an increased rate, it becomes more difficult for departments to hire and retain enough to adequately staff agencies. Crazy work-life balance, pay, politics, and the mental health aspect are just a few. Chiefs around the nation have had to make changes in order to keep officers. There are many ways to address the problem such as emphasizing community policing to help take some of the load off officers, offering incentives, base policing policies off data rather than local administration's political standpoints, and mandatory mental health training and checkups. Implementing such strategies would be advantageous. One way of addressing the issue of a crazy work-life balance resulting in manpower shortages is by emphasizing community policing to help take the load off officers. Currently, the Houston Police Department utilizes civilians by having them create police reports over the phone. The civilian unit is called the Teleserve Unit, or TSU. TSU receives non-emergency calls such as auto thefts, vehicle break-ins, and fraud calls. The calls are added to a call board and the civilian calls back the complainant, creating a police report. Since the calls are non-emergency, the officers on duty can respond to emergency calls faster, making their job more efficient and ensuring the officer will be able to make it home on time. In addition to the civilian positions, allowing officers to choose a schedule that better fits their home life, or at least having a more predictive schedule, could help alleviate some of the weight of a misaligned work/life balance, resulting in happier employees, leading to retainment and reduced manpower shortages.

2 Another way to address manpower shortages is by offering incentives to increase pay. The people who protect the citizens of this nation should not have to worry about how they will pay their bills. In 2021, officers, on average, earned $66,020 per year. (Police and detectives: Occupational outlook handbook 2022) The median income in the US in the same year was $70,784. (Semega & Kollar, 2022) That means the average office made less than the average income. Incentives could help with that, whether they be recruiting incentives, education incentives, increased rank pay, or sign-on bonuses. Recruiting incentives allow officers that are currently employed by the department to earn money by recruiting potential candidates. Education incentives would add to an employee's yearly salary depending on their degree or how many credits they’ve earned. The Houston Police Department allows officers to earn varying amounts if they rank up. The rank of Commander in the Houston Police Department currently allows the employee to earn between $116,743 and $126,549 a year. (Benefits, n.d.) Sign-on bonuses would allow candidates the opportunity to earn a lump sum for applying while also retaining the employee for a specified amount of time. Currently, the Houston Police Department is offering a $10,000 sign-on bonus which will not need to be paid back if the employee works at least 6 months and passes the TCOLE test. (MEDIA ALERT: Cadets to Receive $10,000 Incentive to Join Houston Police Department – City of Houston | Newsroom, n.d.) Offering incentives would allow the employees to earn more pay and possibly retain employees or recruit candidates, reducing manpower shortages. Many police department policies differ from their local administration's views, particularly in the South. The South, generally, has more Republican-oriented views and when local administration holds Democratic views, conflict can arise between departments. Alternatively, data-driven policing policies could be implemented. “Data-driven policing improves strategic and tactical decision-making by enhancing agency capacity to detect problems and develop efficient and effective solutions to inform deployment and maximize the impact of limited departmental resources.” (Lessons for the Field: A Checklist for Fair and Just Data-Driven Policing, n.d.) Recently, police departments around the U.S. have been under intense scrutiny to reform police policies. Officers who agree with their departmental policies

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