Implementation of a Project Coordinator or Administrative Project Unit within Texas Law Enforcement Agencies
Files
Date
2019
Authors
Keyes, Byron T.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT)
Abstract
Description
Policing in the twenty-first century has become highly technical from the era of officers receiving their calls for service from call boxes to receiving them electronically over a mobile data computer or cell phone. With this evolution, the need for ordering specialized equipment and legal documentation needed for acquiring it has never been more apparent. Law enforcement agencies have relied on internal employees to order equipment, oversee projects, and write legal documents with little to no training. All law enforcement agencies should have a designated project coordinator or administrative unit to centralize the paperwork, ordering, receiving, supervising a project, or obtaining the appropriate equipment.
Due to a sworn officer or civilian employee assignment, they may be required to order their own equipment which will be utilized within their respective division, section, or unit. Employees can make an inordinate amount of mistakes due to lack of knowledge, lack of training, or poor guidance. Law enforcement agencies tend not to designate these duties to a designated person or unit due to personnel constraints, budgetary shortages, or outsourcing the task to someone else. Centralizing this process could bring continuity in ordering, receiving, and legal compliance in applying for and acquiring equipment. Instead of relying on the tried and true method of that is the way it has always been done, law enforcement agencies across Texas could improve their accountability, reliability, and fiscal responsibility. Police agencies should have a designated project person or section to oversee the various projects or equipment acquisitions to ensure the best interest of the citizens they serve and the departments they work for are met.
Keywords
Government Purchasing, Procurement, Government