Police Organization
Points of Organizational Structure and Design
Organizational design refers to differential levels of an organization’s management. Two types of spatial differentiation exist in a police organization: horizontal differentiation. On the one hand, vertical differentiation refers to the people who hold positions of power in the organization. Those with vertical authority can assign tasks to juniors and ensure performance takes place (Swanson et al., 2021). In the case of the police service, the police deputy chief holds vertical power, which they use to control captains.
On the other hand, horizontal power is mostly based on activity. However, it is based on geographical distributions or major projects in some cases (Swanson et al., 2021). For instance, state police departments are in charge of the different states they represent. Horizontal design groups police according to location instead of their function.
Four Basic Types of Police Organizational Structure/Design
Four design structures exist in the police service. They include line, matrix, staff, and functional structures. Firstly, the line structure is based on a top-down approach. Senior managers directly control junior police officers (Dugger, 2021). However, this structure is inefficient due to the nature and chain of command in police work. Another structure is the line and staff structure, incorporating support staff into the system (Dugger, 2021). The support staff manages police activities, directs services to the public, and deals with corruption issues.
The third design structure is the functional unit. It is a modified line structure that delegates some management aspects to specialized units within the police service (Dugger, 2021). Such structuring is meant to reduce problems within the police service by holding all officers accountable. Finally, the matrix structure incorporates diverse organizational members into decision-making. It solves the problems associated with sticking to a single hierarchical line during decision-making (Dugger, 2021). It is composed of police personnel drawn from all organizational levels.
References
Dugger, A. (2021). Police Management. Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/police-management-police-department-organization.html#:~:text=Police%20departments%20typically%20use%20one
Swanson, C. R., Territo, L., & Taylor, R. W. (2021). Police administration: structures, processes, and behaviors. Pearson.
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Question 
Describe the points of organizational structure and design.
Police Organization
Examine the four basic types of police organizational designs/structures.