Motivation And Productivity In Law Enforcement

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Decrease in Motivation and Productivity in Law Enforcement
My department, division, and career field areexperiencing a significant decrease in both job satisfaction and productivity on a large scale. There are several factors that can be contributed to these declines on a national and regional scale, as well as how these problems are being addressed within my department.
In terms of productivity, I will speak to proactive enforcement activities taken by police officers with a focus on traffic stops. Recently, a department I previously worked for proclaimed that it "will no longer initiate traffic stops for minor infractions such as broken headlights or tail lights(Queram, 2015)" as a way of addressing racial disparities in …show more content…

My department, as well as many other agencies are referred to as modern or new, have also adapted new policies in regards to discipline and violations officers can be disciplined for. The most common form of discipline in my agency comes in the form of suspension without pay. While it is a common belief that civil servants (police, teachers, etc.) are underpaid, imagine these workers now worried about the constant threat of having their paychecks further reduced due to minor violations of policy (such as wearing the wrong color undershirt, or turning off a police siren long enough to speak into a radio microphone.) While monetary reimbursement is not specifically listed in Maslow's hierarchy, I believe it is understood that the ability to provide for one's family or ones own livelihood depends on their ability to earn a …show more content…

Many officers complain of the length of time subsequently spent at the jailwhen arresting someone, even for minor offenses. I myself have spent 4 or more hours of my shift in the booking area waiting to speak to a magistrate for misdemeanor charges. Throw in the likelihood that officers will have to attend court on their scheduled days off (more than likely several times) to have a district attorney reduce or dismiss the charges completely, and many officers simply deem certain activities as simply not being worth their time, effort, or the frustration they believe to likely accompany the lack of a satisfying result. When officers are experiencing frustration on this many levels,it can be hard to remember the words "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your understanding (Proverbs

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