The Business of Policing
Many years ago, I found myself and some friends talking to a veteran police officer about what type of college education would be most helpful for becoming an officer. As genuine ‘wanna be’ teenagers, we were all convinced that police administration degrees (now called criminal justice degrees) would be the obvious choice. I will never forget his advice. He told us that we should look at getting degrees in business because, after all, the police department is just that; a business.
For the most part, we thought he was crazy.
Boy oh boy, was he ever right.
During my last 20 and then some years as a police officer I have seen this to be very true, and I have become more and more interested in the ‘business side’ of the policing industry. Interested may be an understatement. I am passionate about the topic, and I am convinced that the formal introduction of real business units in police departments is the next big step in the professionalization of our industry.
The public perception of the police has changed dramatically over the last few decades. Juries, pundits and the public at large tend to turn a critical eye toward the police. It seems that the salad days of unconditional trust are over, and we have had to make, and will continue to make, many adjustments to how we conduct ourselves and restore that trust.
It only stands to reason that that same critical eye will start to focus on how we handle the business side of the house; just what are we doing with tax dollars? After all, public safety budgets (especially the police) generally consume the lion’s share of government budgets, and there is every reason to expect that the taxpayers will want to know that their investment will bring a return. Personally, I share that interest. The clouds are certainly gathering.
So, in preparation for this coming storm, who better to turn to than the business and corporate world? It’s hard to pick up the news these days and not see an article where a corporation has gone under the knife; sliced, diced and gouged open for all to see. And of course, it is because stockholders, consumers or anyone with an opinion (stakeholders), are demanding to see things ‘just done right.’ We need to look at those that weather the storm, even come out in front of it, and those that did not fare so well, to understand what works and what does not work.
This blog is my way of generating conversation about policing and the world of business, by comparing the things that the two worlds have in common, and pointing out the things that go on in a successful corporate world, that can be applied in police agencies.
Cheers!
Dave
Change is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, transformative success is. – Seth Godin
Coming Up: Why policing is a business and should run like a business.
Thank you for your thoughtful post. I echo your sentiments about the “Business Side of Policing.” I left the Atlanta Police Department many years ago to start a company to create curriculum, training and books that I felt would help the profession (leadership development, morale building, employee relations, etc.). Given the nature of policing, it’s been an uphill battle educating police leaders on the importance of effective employee relations. But, that’s for another article.
Also, I agree that business principles borrowed from corporate America would improve police operations (Benchmarking, Inbound Marketing, Social Networking and Effective Leadership and Communications). Reportedly, the U.S. military has used corporate principles for some years. The ideal police administrator would have the mind of a businessperson coupled with police practitioner experience. In the coming years, these skills will be invaluable. Perhaps, policing has always been a business since its inception, but never has this rang true as today.
Edward Brown, M.S.
Core Edge Private Label Rights
http://plr.coreedgeprivatelabelrights.com
Very good points, I think that there is a lot of opportunity ahead if the brass tacks are handled in a more structured way in the background. Money may be the root of all evil to some, but is sure drives organizations to improve their value propositions and performance as for as the end customer is concerned. Feeling the ‘sweat’ like they do in boardroom might be on the healthy side. Thank You!
Pedro Redondeiro
Full-Time Student
Great article.
1 month ago
shakirat adepeju babatunde
director of accounts ministry of justice at Office of the the Secretary to the Lagos State Government
Police training should be more on psychology and behavioural science. Common sense business idea could be learned through conferences and seminars not necessarily by acquiring a degree in business .
1 month ago