The impact of community growth on the staffing and structure of a Midsized Police Department. (Research Forum).

Many law enforcement agencies have experienced significant staffing changes in conjunction with increased community growth over the last two decades. (1) In fact, some California cities currently face a crisis in their efforts to provide law enforcement services to their communities because of the high demand for thousands of new police officers needed to serve a constantly growing population. (2) Substantial future growth may impact many law enforcement agencies throughout the nation.

Predictably, when agencies focus on the future, questions will arise, such as what new forms of organization they must create and how they should deploy their forces. (3) To address these questions, the authors conducted a futures-oriented project under the auspices of the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Command College. Although the authors recognized that a number of issues can affect community growth and that this growth can influence a number of community issues, they limited the scope of the project to the impact of increased community growth on the organizational structure and staffing resources of a midsized municipal police department. However, their findings may help law enforcement administrators in agencies of any size face similar challenges.

THE PROJECT

The authors created a hypothetical model, named "Central City," for their project. They based this model on the Chico, California, Police Department where the population has increased an average of nearly 4 percent for each of the last 20 years and where analysts predict continued major growth, primarily through annexation, for the next few years. (4) Additionally, researchers included certain aspects of the city of Redding, California, and its police department in the model. The cities of Redding and Chico lie in close proximity to each other, and both cities and police departments have experienced substantial growth over the last 25 years.

The project included an examination of the issue through a review of the literature and interviews with subject-matter experts. Literature reviewed included statistical employment data that helped identify municipal police departments in California that experienced substantial growth in short periods of time. The review of the literature also incorporated data related to police department staffing levels on the state and national levels, local data that provided a historical perspective on population and police department staffing, sources that discussed future issues in policing, and sources that related to future aspects of the business organizations in general. Interviews with subject-matter experts included discussions with representatives of law enforcement agencies that experienced significant growth, as well as two city administrators. The researchers also used a futures-forecasting exercise to predict trends and events that could impact the issue.

Based upon a cumulation of the information examined, the researchers developed three scenarios, each reflective of a possible future, and chose one as the most probable. This scenario became the focus for developing a strategic plan.

THE LITERATURE

Research consistently found that organizations of the future, including police departments, will look flat, lean, flexible, and decentralized, with responsibility and accountability pushed to the lowest levels. (5) In addition to the continued existence of dedicated patrol officers, departments still will need specialized assignments to address unique or time-consuming police problems. (6) The integration of the community-oriented policing/problem solving (COPPS) philosophy into the way police departments conduct business will enhance the overall efficiency of services provided and promote community support of law enforcement, but agencies will still need to engage in planning efforts to meet their staffing needs. (7)

Population growth remains one issue that may affect staffing needs for police departments. (8) An increase in population will result in additional calls for service, which will result in a need for additional police personnel. (9) The degree to which a police agency integrates technology into their organization can affect staffing levels as well. Technology either can assist in making an organization's staffing levels leaner and flatter or may have little influence. (10)

Regardless of the issues that can affect staffing, at some point, managers must make a decision on how many additional personnel to add to their department. Data from several sources indicates that a number of different staffing ratios exist that police managers could use to project future staffing scenarios for their departments. They should view their new and existing staff in terms of some unit of measure, such as in relation to community population on a per-capita basis. (11)

Most law enforcement administrators will agree that funding for additional positions remains difficult to secure. In addition, as departments add personnel, administrators must maintain standards, and most important, they must base their staffing levels and goals on a predetermined officer-per-population ratio. Conversely, some city administrators believe that community growth through annexation has great potential to stretch the resources of a city and that a police department should base its staffing increases upon need, rather than a per-population ratio.

THE PLAN

The authors convened a group of subject-matter experts to forecast trends and events that potentially could impact a police department's response to staffing growth. The group identified six trends--changing population demograpics, cost of technology, global economy, tax revenue, quantity of qualified applicants, and quality of life. Additionally, they identified six events that could impact a department's response to staffing growth--less tax revenue, a mandated retirement package, city council elections, unfunded mandates, the arrival of a large industry in the city, and a large annexation. These top six trends and events were used to formulate three fictional scenarios, each illustrating a possible future that related the potential impact of community growth on the staffing and organizational structure of a police department. The researchers labeled the three scenarios as best, worst, and most probable and used the most probable scenario as a vehicle to develop a plan to take an agency from its current sta te to a desired future state. The plan included description of the Central City Police Department's present situation, an weaknesses and external opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis), an assessment of stakeholders, and an overview of specific strategies to make the most probable scenario a reality.

The Situation

The hypothetical Central City has around 55,000 residents living in an urban area of approximately 95,000 inhabitants and constitutes the largest city in the county, which has population of approximately 202,000. The city houses a state university campus with approximately 15,000 students, and many of the 14,000 students from a nearby community college also reside in the city. Central City is a liberal community, very diverse socioeconomically, a charter city, and governed by a council/city manger form of government with a seven-member council.

The Central City Police Department has existed for nearly 80 years as a full-service law enforcement agency with a conventional bureaucratic hierarchy and subscribes to the COPPS philosophy. The department has 116 full-time employees, 75 of whom are sworn, and a complement of nearly 200 part-time volunteers. The department has two division, operations and community outreach sections. The support division consists of the communications, records, animal control, and criminal investigations section. The detective and youth services bureaus fall under the criminal investigations section.

The chief of the Central City Police Department is excited about the prospects that the upcoming year might hold for her department. Although she is a young chief, she already was distinguished herself with per accomplishments. Of particular note is her ability to view circumstances related to her department with careful and reasoned realism. The new city council selected her as chief because they believed that she could successfully maneuver the department through a variety of adversities that would occur in the near future.

The quality of life and the community support for the police departments and local government in Central City has remained high for decades. The stable economy makes planning an annual budget an easy task for Central City managers. The city enjoyed about 25 percent growth during the past 5 years through a planned balance of annexation and commercial and residential development. A slight increase in sales tax revenues for each of the last 5 years allowed the city to conservatively expand its services.

The police chief has maintained an acceptable level of service to the public. Although the geographical service area of the department has grown, she has made adjustments to the patrol sectors to accommodate the growth. Even though the economy and Central City's overall fiscal picture remains bright, the police department has been unable to add positions in direct proportion to the population growth in the city. Although the department had maintained specialized programs, the chief had to justify them each year to the city manager and council. Grant opportunities, however, have allowed the department to add personnel in some specialized areas. The department also acquired additional general fund positions, but only enough to provide extra patrol coverage during peak periods. Full integration of the COPPS philosophy and an overall commitment to finding ways to work smarter, rather than harder, has resulted in an efficiently run department.

The chief entered her new position faced with many dilemmas, one of which was two vacant police officer positions that she was not authorized to fill- one because an officer would be off work for 6 months due to a work-related injury and another for maternity leave. Although the department would feel the impact of these absences, the chief made temporary staffing adjustments to maintain minimum coverage in patrol areas.

At the beginning of the new fiscal year, the city council will make a retirement system available to public safety employees that provides for retirement at an earlier age. The chief anticipates this to affect only three of her officers-not a significant impact on the department. She will maintain a police officer eligibility list through the end of the calendar year, with several viable experienced candidates.

The chief is pleased with the future prospects and the current personnel available. Although she would like to acquire more resources for her department, she must make the best use of what she has and remain ready for any challenges. Although the city manager and the council have committed to a staffing-per-population formula, they cannot guarantee funding for projected positions, but have assured the chief that it will remain one of their top priorities.

The Analysis

The analysis intended to identify internal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for the Central City Police Department that could impact the development of specific strategies. The analysis found that the department's strengths related primarily to its high quality of personnel and services provided, whereas its weaknesses generally pertained to the inexperience of staff and employees in particular areas. The opportunities discovered correlated primarily to technologies, grants and other funding, and potential community partnerships, while threats pertained to competition for grant funds, politics, and unfavorable views and attitudes toward law enforcement.

The Stakeholders

Assessment identified a number of individuals and groups as stakeholders with regard to the issue. The authors viewed them from two different perspectives relative to the department-internal and external. Internally, the research identified six groups: administration/middle management, supervisors, officers, nonsworn personnel the peace officer's association, and volunteers. Externally, the research identified five individuals/groups: city manager, city council, business community, citizens, and special interest groups of the identified stakeholders. The city manager, the chief of police, and the peace officer's association proved critical for the overall success of the strategic plan.

The Strategies

Taking into consideration the situation, the results of the SWOT, and the stakeholder analyses, the authors developed four specific strategies. When employed collectively, the strategies could help achieve the desired future state and also aid the Central City Police Department in maintaining staffing levels commensurate with the population growth. The strategies promote working smarter, rather than harder, as members of the Central City Police Department are called upon to do more with proportionately less resources; encourage and rein force the integration of the COPPS philosophy into the way the Central City Police Department conducts its business; actively cultivate community support of the department through community enhancement strategies, police and community partnerships, as well as COPPS-related. activities; and develop and promote the support of a departmental staffing growth plan that balances identified minimally acceptable staffing levels and a standard for increasing personnel based on a per-t housand population ratio with the demonstrated needs of the community.

The Transition

The researchers posited that the chief of police would prove the most essential to the successful implementation of the identified strategies and should assume the lead role in the transition of the Central City Police Department from its current state to its desired future state. The chief essentially acts as intermediary between the city manager and the peace officer's association and holds the position to influence both. The chief could ensure that her department enjoys a successful transition by communicating the vision of the desired state and other educational efforts, employing role modeling at various levels, and recognizing and rewarding performance that reinforces aspects of the specific strategies and the desired future state.

CONCLUSION

When considering the impact community growth will have on the future staffing resources and organizational structure of their departments police managers must consider adding personnel and anticipate that the impact on the structure will prove minimal. Additionally, police leaders must ensure that they address all future law enforcement interests. Through continued monitoring, law enforcement executives should recognize trends and anticipate events that potentially could influence the future of policing. Leaders must develop strategies for assisting their organization in reaching a beneficial result and, implement a plan to manage the transition of the organization from the present into the future.

Police leaders have a choice about the future of law enforcement--they can wait for the future to happen, or they can make it happen. By creating a growth plan for the future, including the staffing and organizational structure of their department, law enforcement leaders will remain, better equipped to develop, propose, and implement alternative responses specific to their department.

Captain Maloney serves with the Chico, California, Police Department. Lieutenant Moty serves with the Redding, California, Police Department.

Endnotes

(1) Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, Employment Data for California Law Enforcement, 1978-1998.

(2) Rob Dailey, "The Competition For Cops," Western City, June 1999, 21.

(3) Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler, "The Future of Law Enforcement Dangerous and Different, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, January 1990, 21-24.

(4) City of Chico, General Plan, 1992, 3.1.

(5) Michael L. Birzer, "Police Supervision in the 21st Century," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, June 1996, 6-10 Yvonne C Turner, "Decentralizing the Specialized Unit Function in Small Police Agencies," The Police Chief, February 2000 50-51; Joseph H. Boyett and Henry P. Coon, Workplace 2000 (New York Penguin, 1992) 156.

(6) Neil C. Chamelin, Vernon B. Fox and Paul M, Whisenand, Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2nd Edition (New Jersey Prentice Hall, Inc., 1979) 95, 122-123, Andrew J. Harvey, "Building An Organizational Foundation For the Future," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, November 1996, 12-17; supra note 5, Turner.

(7) California Office of the Attorney General, Violence Prevention: A Vision of Hope (Sacramento: Office of the Attorney General, 1995), 65.

(8) N.F. Iannone, Supervision of Police Personnel, 2nd ed. (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1975); 128-130.

(9) Robert C. Carden, "What Impact Will Rapid Population Influx Have on Rural Law Enforcement Agencies by the Year 2001? POST Command College, July 1996, 5-8.

(10) Peter S. DeLisi, "Lessons from the Steel Axe: Culture, Technology and Organizational Change," Sloan Management Review, Fall 1990, 88; supra note 6, Harvey.

(11) Edward P. Ammann and Jim Hey, "Establishing Agency Personnel Levels," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, July 1986, 16-20.