Our task assigned was to interview a specific agency about their use, or lack of, an “Early Warning System”. Although the first use of the Early Warning System was in Kansas City in 1972, it wasn’t until 1981, that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights suggested that all law enforcement agencies around the country should be implementing it. (Schultz 2011) It is still, as of 2017, not mandatory, however it is a requirement of the agency if it wishes to be CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accredited. The CALEA is the what is referred to at the, “Gold Standard” of law enforcement accreditations.
Despite it not being mandatory, there are many reasons as to why an agency might want to put the Early Warning Systems (EWS) into action. The biggest of which is to identify and correct problems found within the agencies that pertain to current employees. The EWS allows the agency to be proactive, rather than reactive, to allegations of misconduct and investigation efforts. In addition to helping catch or correct issues, the EWS also helps identify future issues. The EWS affords them the opportunity to better assess situations, thus saving the department from potential lawsuits and negative media.
By detecting a pattern of …show more content…
By flagging these officers in advance, the EWS may provide them with the opportunities to reflect on their decisions, rectify situations before they get completely out of hand, or allow things to be brought to light and addressed before issues begin to ultimately affect the department as a whole. Each snowflake, or officer in this case, plays a crucial role in every avalanche’s progression downhill, and once it gets the momentum it is impossible to stop, and things have the potential to turn
Despite it not being mandatory, there are many reasons as to why an agency might want to put the Early Warning Systems (EWS) into action. The biggest of which is to identify and correct problems found within the agencies that pertain to current employees. The EWS allows the agency to be proactive, rather than reactive, to allegations of misconduct and investigation efforts. In addition to helping catch or correct issues, the EWS also helps identify future issues. The EWS affords them the opportunity to better assess situations, thus saving the department from potential lawsuits and negative media.
By detecting a pattern of …show more content…
By flagging these officers in advance, the EWS may provide them with the opportunities to reflect on their decisions, rectify situations before they get completely out of hand, or allow things to be brought to light and addressed before issues begin to ultimately affect the department as a whole. Each snowflake, or officer in this case, plays a crucial role in every avalanche’s progression downhill, and once it gets the momentum it is impossible to stop, and things have the potential to turn