Money and Law Enforcement, Research Paper Example

Income outside the normal budget provided to the law enforcement agencies can be obtained through the extra efforts of the men and women of the agency needing the funds. Simple activities such as athletic events, races and public events can provide the secondary income needed to fulfill the budgetary limitations endured by the law enforcement agency. While watching the costs of the events and ensuring the integrity and public perception of the agency is not diminished, public events could benefit the agency both financially and improve the public relations. This creates a win-win situation for the public and the agency.

Tough economic times have hit families and governments in ways that were unimaginable ten years ago. During these times families have had to resort to other avenues to create revenue to sustain and maintain their quality of life even if it was degraded due to increased prices and less than obtainable financial relief. In the public forum, individuals can start up side businesses to sell clothing, maintain lawn services or freelance as a writer if they so desired. The same hardships faced by the public as a whole also hits government agencies as well. The one entity that is going to be focused on is that of law enforcement. As public figures, law enforcement organizations should not be out mowing lawns or recycling cardboard to make ends meet for their agencies budget. Although these activities would not be suitable for law enforcement there are activities that not only promote the image of the law enforcement agency but also creates financial gain for the allotted expenditures that are needed by the force but not covered by the annual budget.

There are a couple different aspects that need to be covered before embarking on extracurricular activities to earn funding for the use by a law enforcement agency. The activities should not bring discredit upon the agency. Activities that are not ethically or morally align with the core values of the agency should not even be considered. Also, there should not be a conflict of interest between the agency providing the service and the entity utilizing the law enforcement’s services or name. There also should not be a sense of demoralization of the force due to the fact that as a law enforcement agency there is a sense of superiority and authority that is required for them to adequately perform their duties.

Also in order to focus the extracurricular activities on a specific need of the law enforcement agency. Once the budget is reviewed and the short falls are discovered they will need to be prioritized by need. Once this is accomplished they will need to be prioritized by opportunity to raise funds in order to meet the budgetary need. For example, it would be hard to raise funds from the public for an off-site law enforcement conference in the Virgin Islands but on the flip side it may be exponentially easier to garner funding for implementation of a safety and protection program for at risk youths.

Once the purpose of the fundraiser is established the next step is to find an appropriate way of raising the funds. The first area of opportunity is to establish a charity event. In the spirit of the athleticism and spirit of law enforcement the fund raiser could include activities such as warrior runs, a walk for the agency or a combined effort of law enforcement and other agencies to create a synergistic effect and potentially create more funding for multiple agencies.

The warrior run would require the greatest amount of logistical support in regard to runs or walks. The first step is to secure a large enough area to create a challenging obstacle course that would draw in enough support to attend but also be challenging enough for the athletic target market. The event would require volunteer efforts by the force to negate potential cost strains on the potential financial gains of the run. There will also need to be analysis and benefit analysis done to create a competitive entry cost for the event. The costs of the event should be scrutinized by an authority not directly associated with the event to ensure there is maximum cost avoidance is obtained and maximum return on investment is achieved.

There is also the potential for machinery rental to create the obstacle course. Design and implementation could make or break the event. While focusing on safety, the course should create a sense of exhilaration and adrenaline rush that would not be experienced in a typical 5K race.

Once the event is planned, the purpose of the event needs to be communicated extremely well and the funding obtained through the event must go to the purpose stated. This is ultimately going to impact the integrity of the law enforcement agency as well as the future success of events after this one. If the mud run’s scope is too strenuous or daunting for the force to handle the event can be scaled down to not only fit the forecasted volunteer effort. The city could work in conjunction with the local law enforcement to create a run through the downtown area or through the local park. The focal point of the 5 or 10K run should be on the fact that the streets are safe and the community is joined together to support the reason why they can traverse the streets without fear or repercussions for letting their guard down.

The overall goals and objectives of creating an event is to raise funding for the right purpose, creating an enjoyable event for as many people as possible and finally create an event that is repeatable with a high return on investment (Kelly, 1998). Creating sustainable revenue over the long run and creating the framework for a repeatable event will potentially ensure the ability to forecast revenue for future expenses.

The next area for opportunity would be to create a league event sponsored by the law enforcement agency. There are multiple leagues that could be created to support a revenue generating endeavor. The first that is on the list that, if the proper resource allocation is obtained, could return a highly profitable return over the course of the season. This is a softball league including sponsored teams and sponsored league play. The areas of opportunity in a softball tournament include entry fees paid by the individual teams as well as concession sales at each of the single games as well as the tournament play at the end of the season. As with any good event the advertisement of the event must be far reaching and impactful.

This is where the purpose is stated as well as a prize at the end of the season for the winning team. Whether it is a trophy, cash prize or a sponsored dinner for the winning team in which the law enforcement provides the meal, a target at the end of the season will promote competition and justify an entry fee to the teams. There is also a potential to include an entry fee to free agents that do not have the required amount of members to field a team but would like to participate in the competitive activity. These members would be aggregated and formed into their own team. By creating a free agent field the event expands its target market and garners potential funding from outliers that would not normally be able to participate in the activities.

In conjunction with all of the above there are still opportunities to achieve positive gains in funding which include sponsored car shows and public cookouts. The entry fees for the car show participants as well as concession sales would attribute to the benefits of the car show the only real expense would be the public forum for the vehicles to be viewed and the food and drinks to be sold. The rest of the event would require volunteer efforts by the law enforcement agents and the local community. The cookout could be held by itself or accompanied by an exhibition of fireworks to commemorate a special event or could even be held at the end of the races discussed earlier.

No matter what event is chosen it is important to ensure the dignity and integrity of the law enforcement agency. The other important aspect is that the purpose of the event needs to benefit the general public to ensure the donations and fees are appropriated to a non-conflicting aspect of law enforcement. While the purpose may benefit the overall safety of the public, it is also strategically practical to choose funding needs that are not controversial (Gutierrez, 2003). Procuring funding from the public can be a very tricky gamut to run. The funds need to be used specifically for the purpose stated and documented thoroughly. If moral and ethical standards are upheld and cautious judgment is used, public events to receive a secondary income for law enforcement agencies can be through simple extracurricular activities.

Reference

Cordner, G. W., & Scarborough, K. E. (2010). Police administration. (7 ed.). New Providence: Anderson.

Gutierrez, R. (2003). Social equity and the funding of community policing. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC.

Kelly, K. S. (1998). Effective fund-raising management. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.