As per attached Outline: Please follow the outline to complete final paper. For your final submission, you are to submit the research paper you have been working on throughout the course. The research

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Running head; DECISION MAKING AND POLICE LEADERSHIP

Unit IV Research Outline

Decision Making and Police Leadership

Nicolbe Hernandez

Columbia Southern University

Abstract

In the management and supervision of criminal justice, decision making and the police leader play a big role in the efficiency of a justice system. It is more beneficial to understand how important aspects enhance the efficiency of the criminal justice system. The criminal justice is a vast system that handles a variety of cases and situations to maintain law and order. Majorly, the aim of managing the criminal justice system is to keep all the agencies involved responsible for the actions taken; keep tabs on their performance and take corrective measures wherever necessary. (DeBoer, 2017). The supervision should equally be done from an oversight angle to reduce the threat on the autonomy of agencies like law enforcement. With that level of freedom, there should be equal responsibility. One of the most essential components of criminal justice is the police. In this paper, the focus is on decision making and police leadership.

Outline

1. Introduction- Decision making is important in securing the functionality of a criminal justice system and should be effectively applied to all the aspects of the system especially the police leadership.

2. Body- The leadership of the police should ensure they play their role in making the policies of the justice system stick; the importance of decision-making in the criminal justice system and enhancing of the services of the police while incorporating informed decision making in the process.

3. Conclusion- How decision making has improved the criminal justice system and any potential improvements that can make it more efficient. The benefit of having informed decision making.

Decision making and police leader

These two are intertwined. The police force is the enforcer of the law. Courts and justice systems rely on the police to offer the law enforcement services so that they have people to prosecute and evidence to run through the prosecution. If the police fail to effectively perform their duties, it means the entire system will have challenges operating as it should. There is a need for coordination and cooperation. The entire criminal justice system functions as a chain if one piece works well then so do the rest. Co-dependency means it is not possible to have one section performing at a-hundred per cent while the rest is struggling off. The stakeholders of the criminal justice system should ensure they always keep the systems placed in an order that allows them to run concurrently and smoothly together. (Naughton, 2018).

In the running of a police department, the efficiency all begins with the leadership. If the leadership understands what is required of them, they are in a better position to make proper use of resources that are at their disposal. Just like in an organisation where management support dictates success, so is the same scenario in the police leadership. Law and order depend on a strong law enforcement agency. The leader of such an agency should not run it as a normal operation. Some strategies and methods make the entire unit function optimally. The unit should have rules, regulations and policies that ensure every member of the force; from leadership to the lowest ranks understand their duty. It is often said that subordinates replicate what they see from their leadership. A police leader is an important piece of the criminal justice system. With proper coordination of the personnel and other resources, the leadership can guarantee an improved agency. (Lewis, 2016). To achieve this kind of success, the leadership must have the necessary resources, proper training and the essential strategic advancements for the accomplishment of the law enforcement agency objectives.

Decision making is an important piece in the justice system. The system requires a lot of urgency in making decisions. Some of the decisions made are usually impromptu and requires a lot of the critical analysis on the spot. With the challenges that come with having to make fast decisions in the room, it leaves for mistakes. In the haste of making a quick decision that is related to the justice system, there is a challenge of observing the law. It is for this reason that most of the cases appealed against often get turned. (Doss, 2015). The haste means a loophole can be left for the decision to be challenged later on. However, it has become possible to train criminal justice system's key players on creative and critical thinking. Creative and critical thinking are a strong basis for decision making. They encourage that before any decision is made, alternatives should be evaluated and the best possible outcome sought. If there are any doubts, it is better to postpone the decision. It is preferably to late rather than being wrong. There is no standard guidance for making decisions in the justice system. The decision-maker must use their intelligence and emotional quotient to evaluate a situation and make a decision dependent on the underlying conditions.

Importantly, in the police leadership role, decision making must be sober and objective. The decisions made by a police leader are both impactful on the civilians as well as the police personnel. If the police personnel and the civilians are in mutual understanding, they make a more informed decision. The decision making is centralised towards the benefit of both parties. The responsibility of the leader is to make important decisions. The leadership decisions are aimed at directing the roles of the personnel and ensuring the criminal justice system runs effectively. Also, the court judges and mediators require the leadership of the police and other subordinates to make decisions that are objective when running investigations. (Johnson, 2020). The court cases are decided based on the evidence presented by the police and examined by the prosecution team.

References

DeBoer, L. H., & amp; Belshaw, S. H. (2017). Criminal justice. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt

Doss, D. A., Glover, W. H., Goza, R. A., & Wigginton, M. J. (2015). The foundations of communication in criminal justice systems. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. Publishing Company.

Johnson, C. M. (2020). Law Enforcement T. S.l.: AV2 By Weighl

Lewis, M. (2016). Law enforcement. Valencia, CA: TPS Publishing.

Naughton, J. (2018). Criminal Justice. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.