Читать книгу Police in America - Steven G. Brandl - Страница 98

In police departments, there is a never-ending demand for services but never enough resources. If there are more resources, there are simply more demands to consume those resources.¹¹ For example, if a police department has a sizeable number of patrol officers, it may have the opportunity to respond to more calls—calls that otherwise would not have been handled, such as keys locked inside of cars, burglar alarms, or missing vehicle license plates. Sometimes attempts to reduce demands result in even more demands. Some police departments use a 311 telephone number for nonemergency calls to alleviate the burden of false emergency calls to 911. The result has been even more phone calls to the police.¹² There is also never enough money to operate a police department. Departments can always benefit from having more officers, better or newer equipment, the latest technology, more training, and/or better facilities. As a result, departmental budgets are never sufficient.

Photo 3.3 Police officers and their supervisors work together to try to accomplish an agency’s goals, with supervisors directing the activities of officers. On occasion, however, there is conflict between street cops and management cops.

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