Leading Group Challenges

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Leading Group Challenges AJS 512
December 1, 2014
Stephen Duplissis

Leading Group Challenges “The profession of policing and public safety continues to confront new challenges that also present a wealth of opportunities for initiating substantive change” (Batts, Smoot, & Scrivner, 2012, p. 18). Some have noted leaders in the criminal justice police organization face a crossroad when striking a balance between judicial and governmental expectations, the agency itself, stakeholders, and the public. According to Bisschop and Kimpe (2009), “The Diversity of these sometimes conflicting demands –representing the complexity inherent to the police organization –offers a number of distinct challenges for police leadership”
(p. 266). To determine what steps to take as a criminal justice professional to affect change for the future, one must assess some of the challenges currently faced by leaders of criminal justice organizations.
Communication Challenges Communication barriers are a leading challenge to criminal justice organizations.
These barriers come in the form of “interpersonal issues, physical distractions, and meaning, or semantic, barriers” (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Uhl-Bien and Osborn, 2010, p. 259). Interpersonal barriers are when someone is unable to listen objectively to what is being said. These barriers can be caused by the receiver lacking trust for the person, or because of possible biases, prejudices, or stereotypes (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Uhl-Bien and Osborn, 2010). Criminal justice professionals may experience this type of barrier if one person is promoted over another and the other does not feel that person to be qualified for the
position.
Selective listening, filtering and physical distractions are also indicative of communication challenges (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Uhl-Bien and Osborn, 2010). Much like interpersonal barriers to selective listening the receiver blocks out what he or she does not want to hear thereby distorting the information. Whereas, filtering is the process by which the sender only conveys what he or she believes to be relevant information thus potentially impeding the receiver’s progress. Physical distractions are detrimental when information needs to be disseminated. A supervisor who allows interruption while disseminating information may fail to give all pertinent information because of the distraction (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Uhl-Bien and Osborn, 2010).
Communication challenges are not only internally but externally as well. The diverse public and the police continue to have communication breakdowns. Strategies to improve communication barriers are active listening and feedback. Criminal justice organizations need to provide cultural diversity training, and communication classes to leaders and subordinates annually to repair the broken lines of communication many agencies face.
Staffing and Budgeting “As states, counties, and cities try to come to grips with significant budget deficits…criminal justice agencies are being forced to slash their budgets, and furlough or lay off personnel” (Wickman, Mahoney, & Borakove, 2012, para. 1). Budget shortfalls and state-funded cuts put a burden on organizations forcing reductions in a broad range of services provided by criminal justice agencies. Budget restraints also directly relate to staffing shortages putting pressure on leaders to find other avenues in the fight against crime. Organizations are turning to public funding, law enforcement grants, and local councils to set priorities, allocate resources, and address critical systematic, fiscal and operational issues (Wickman, Mahoney, & Borakove, 2012).
As communities face an influx of new residents, criminal activity increases. Budget shortages make it near impossible to effectively “safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice” ("Police Crimes News", 2004, para. 6). Public funding and law enforcement grants can help criminal justice agencies obtain necessary equipment and positions they otherwise could not get on restricted budgets.
Ethical Leadership According to Morris (2008), “An ethical organization must have ethical administrators and managers. They are responsible not only for their personal conduct but also for the actions of those they supervise” (p. 98). If leaders in the criminal justice organization are required to take responsibilities for subordinate’s behavior, they may find themselves improving their practices as examples to others. Leaders have a responsibility to set an example, develop a culture, and nurture moral values reflecting professional and ethical integrity (Turvey & Crowder, 2013). Subordinates look up to leaders, and they pay attention to leader examples and learn moral conduct from them.
Challenges come in the form of leaders who turn from ethical to unethical conduct and behavior. Some leaders can sway others to follow in the unethical practices. Criminal justice organizations need to ensure the hiring processes are geared toward obtaining highly ethical individuals with good moral character to assist in combating these challenges. Other necessary steps are to “establish realistic goals, provide ethical leadership training, develop written code of ethics, provide whistleblowing mechanisms, train personnel in ethics, and discipline violators of ethical standards” (Pollock, 2011, p. 90).
Challenges of Social Media, Internet, and Cybercrime “Today’s high-tech environment and “the deep web” present new, and arguably the most pressing challenges to law enforcement and the justice system as electronic crime is growing in substance and volume worldwide” (How the Web Presents New Challenges for Law Enforcement Agencies, 2014, para. 1). Social media sites can pass images of policing in action straight to the public without first allowing filters by government which present quite a challenge for law enforcement. Not surprisingly, the media tend to focus on the misconduct of police thus distorting the public’s view especially whenever a use-of-force issue arises. Though citizens do not witness police actions every day, they do watch mainstream media and follow other sites such as; Twitter, Facebook, and other media sites.
Internet technology has brought about a new breed of cyber criminals. In 2011, an online marketplace named Silk Road became a thorn in the side of criminal justice organizations. This anonymous portal was used to buy and sell illegal drugs, handguns, false identification records, and more. “Media attention on this high-profile case has shed some light on the legal and technological gaps that exist in law enforcement’s ability to cope with and respond to electronic and cybercrime” ("U.S. Department Of Justice", 2014, para. 2). Identity theft, electronic, and cybercrime have increased as digital technology increases, allowing thieves to retain anonymity making it harder to solve digital crimes.
The strength of media and social media can make or break a criminal justice professional. Sadly, in the months following the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, media and community pressures have pushed Officer Darren Wilson to resign his position (Healy & Davey, 2014). Officer Wilson’s message to the community and his organization stressed his resignation was in hope of allowing the community to heal so as to not put his fellow officers in further danger. Though the Ferguson incident is only one example of media relentlessly destroying a career, media are not always an enemy to the criminal justice organizations.
Because media tend to turn small incidents into high-profile cases, people tend to lose focus on the positive reporting media does. Reporting effectiveness and responsiveness of criminal justice organizations is not as frequent as misconduct but does happen. In a study conducted by Dowler (2003), “Public attitudes toward police are generally positive” thereby proving not all negative media attention can influence public perceptions (para. 8). In order to affect future change, law enforcement organizations need to expand their knowledge of social media and embrace the fact social media can also be an assistive tool for solving crime.
Conclusion
It is clear criminal justice organizations face plenty of challenges, more than have been outlined above. In assessing the differing challenges each is unique, and each clearly present a hardship. With each challenge comes a learning experience, a reaction to the cause, and similar to a disease agencies are forced to find a cure. Criminal justice organizations can overcome these challenges with specialized training, expanding individual knowledge of current threats, updating departmental policies and procedures, and striving to obtain outside funding to pick up the slack on diminishing budgets.

References
Batts, A.W., Smoot, S.M., & Scrivner, E. (2012, July). Police Leadership Challenges in a
Changing World. New Perspectives in Policing, 1-20.
Bisschop, L., & Kimpe, S.D. (2009, Fall). Policing and Leadership: The Case of the Belgian Chiefs of the Local Police. Governance of Security Research Paper Series, 2(1), 1-267.
Healy, J., Davey, M., (2014).
The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/us/ferguson.html?_r=0
Morris, F.S. (2008). Demonstrating Leadership and Maintaining Ethical Standards: A Survey of Arizona Municipal Chiefs of Police. Ann Arbor, MI: Demonstrating Leadership and Maintaining Ethical Standards: A Survey of Arizona Municipal Chiefs of Police.
Police Crimes News. (2004). Retrieved from http://policecrimes.com/police_code.html
Pollock, J.M., (2011). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice (7th ed.). Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Schermerhorn, J.R., Hunt, J.G., Uhl-Bien, M., & Osborn, R.N. (2010). Organizational Behavior (11th ed.). Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Turvey, B.E., & Crowder, S. (2013). Ethical Justice: Applied Issues for Criminal Justice
Students and Professionals. Waltham, MA: Academic Press.
U.S. Department of Justice. (2014). Retrieved from http://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/01-
2014/how_the_web_presents_new_challenges_for_law_enforcement_agencies.asp
Wickman, A., Mahoney, B., & Borakove, M.E. (2012). Improving Criminal Justice System Planning and Operations: Challenges for Local Governments and Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils. National Institute of Corrections,
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