Essay Example on LBPD: Upholding the Law with 1,200+ Workers and $211M Budget

Introduction

The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) in California plays a vital role in upholding the laws of the jurisdiction. LBPD, in this regard, is among the largest municipal police agencies in the county of Los Angles. Currently, this police department has a total staffing of more than 1,200 workers, with 800 of them being sworn officers (LBPD, 2019). The operating budget of LBPD, as stated on its website, is about $211 million LBPD, 2019). With such significant financial and human resources, the agency is committed to providing innovative, proactive, and professional policing to the community.

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The Mission of LBPD

The mission of LBPD is to enhance public safety through partnership and collaboration with city departments, non-profit organizations, and law enforcement agencies at state, federal, and local levels (LBPD, 2019). In this view, the mission of my local police unit reflects the three main tactical features of community policing, namely, partnerships, positive interaction, and problem-solving. The three aspects, according to Maguire and Mastrofski (2015), are essential in community policing as it helps police agencies to solve problems and forge better relations with citizens. More importantly, they are effective in assisting the local police departments to reduce crime, as well as the fear of crime (Maguire & Mastrofski, 2015). This phenomenon implies that LBPD is in a better position to achieve its goals if it uses its mission statement as a navigational tool in implementing its policing tasks.

Goals of the Police Department

The primary goal of LBPD is to uphold the rule of law at Long Beach City and promote public safety so that the liberty of individual people in the jurisdiction may flourish. The organization, as well, aims at maintaining and building positive relationships with the diverse people of Long Beach that it serves. Besides, LBPD's goal is to provide contracted policing services to Long Beach Airport and Long Beach Transit. The organization also aims a maintaining law and order at Long Beach City College and Port of Long Beach. Other objectives of this police unit are improving police practices, promoting partnerships with the local community, and officer adherence to the principles of LBPD. An example of an objective in line with police-community collaboration is to utilize management systems to enhance accountability and communication for both the community and the Department (LBPD, 2019).

This agency has achieved most of its policing goals. It has succeeded in cultivating a culture of partnership with institutions in Long Beach. As an example, LBPD has accomplished the goal of the provision of contracted services to Long Beach City College, among other organizations in the city. In most institutions, where LBPD offers contracted law enforcement services, there is order because of the presence of effective policing procedures during patrols. This police agency, as well, has achieved the objective of promoting collaboration with the local community as a way to improve policing. According to Bindel and Bugni (2011), police-community partnership enables law enforcement agencies to achieve their goals since members of the public are a valuable source of information and support.

Roles of Police in the Community

In Long Beach City, the police play vital law enforcement roles that help maintain order in society. These security officers protect the property and lives of the citizens. Also, they reduce crime and fight the fears of crime through enforcement and apprehension. LBPD's police officers, as well, resolve conflicts and assist victims of crime in getting justice. Some of the community programs that support LBPD to do their work include agency partnerships, household security inspections, and crime prevention education for the residents.

References

Bindel, A., & Bugni, A. (2011). Building police-community partnerships: A literature review.

Criminology and Criminal Justice, 7(3), 2-13. http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/12288LBPD. (2019). About the Long Beach Police Department. https://www.longbeach.gov/police/about-the-lbpd/

Maguire, E. R., & Mastrofski, S. D. (2015). Patterns of community policing in the United States. Police Quarterly, 3(1), 4-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611100003001001