Budgeting in a Police Organization

Budget cuts have continued consistently for the past 8 years at the local level. They have even affected the federal level as well with all the military budget cuts going on. Within departments there are always ways to trim the budget. Some of them are not so pretty. The first plan would be to seek out all programs or divisions that are obsolete to the department and absorb them into current productive divisions. This reduces costs and waste as well as personnel. The downside is that it also reduces the need for those officers. This can put a damper on effectiveness. A more comprehensive approach is for the chief to request unit heads to show that old and new programs or strategies effectively address a goal or objective. More effective strategic and operational planning is generated when the chief requires a

comprehensive justification for all budget requests.(Gaines, 2012) Budget cuts are an unfortunate beast of nature. They are not popular since something has to go. The second plan would be to limit overtime for officers on duty. By limiting overtime you reduce over spending to meet quota. Many officers love overtime but shifting duty hours can limit how much is needed to fulfill obligations. Police departments should closely scrutinize activities such as court appearances, shift extensions, staff size, emergency mobilizations, and special events to determine if overtime can be reduced. Police departments should examine overtime expenditures continuously to see if they are necessary or can be reduced. More efforts should be exerted to manage this widespread problem.(Gaines, 2012) Third to reduce the budget would be to limit buffering the budget. Any not needed items that are requested should be cut to ensure that everything falls within the lines of the budget process.

3 Simple steps to get your paper done
Step 1	Step 2	Step 3
Place Order	Down to work	Paper is Ready!
Takes just a few minutes!	Best writer takes the order	Access via your account