Law Enforcement's Organizational Ranking System

Law enforcement agencies follow an organizational ranking system that distinguishes the level of authority between employees. They use some of the same ranks as the military. In larger law enforcement agencies, more independent units are needed to take some of the pressure off of the head person. In smaller agencies, it does not require many individual units because the chief can pretty much control a small group with the help of a captain or lieutenant. Officers are to respect their fellow officers whom are higher rank. Ranks help agencies to run more effectively.
The most common ranks of authority today from lowest to highest are: Police Officer, Corporal, Detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and lastly Chief/Commissioner. Each rank means a new responsibility and duty for officers. Police officers are the ones who patrol, enforce the laws, maintain order, respond to calls and write …show more content…
The different rank between officers can cause conflicts because officers will feel as if they deserve the rank. You can look at it as jealousy. Another problem is personnel changes such as promotions, transfers, and resignations. This will call for more work to be put on another officer or for someone new to come in and take over. A lot of people have a hard time adapting to change. Duty assignments are a problem that can cause officers to become stressed out. They have to work long hours and do their assigned tasks also. This can cause them to fire back at their fellow officers and this can lead to arguments and fights. Confusion can cause problems because some officers may not know who the boss is. For example, in larger departments they have individuals that supervisor the ones under them. Just imagine if there are three to four supervisors. Which one would you go to for answers? What if they are all out at the same time, which would help you then? This would cause a big