Law Enforcement and Funding
The law enforcement agency requires capital to facilitate its operations. Data reveal that the police budget in the United States (US) range between $100 million, as the lowest in Virginia, to $5 billion, as the highest in New York, per year (Rushin & Michalski, 2020). Overall, police departments in the US spend $100 billion per year in policing. Police department budget appropriations are the local government’s mandate but subject to Federal law and governed by the local political process. Funding is a paramount endeavor that aims to cover general operations and corporate financing, which includes appropriations to facilitate personnel costs, consent decree, payments for judgments and outside counsel concerning police lawsuits, contractual services, travel, materials, equipment, and other expenses (Rushin & Michalski, 2020). Even though local governments appropriate high budgets for their law enforcement agencies, it is not enough to meet all the costs. Therefore, law enforcement should develop novel ways to tap on various grants to meet their needs.
Law enforcement agencies can apply for pass-through funding by developing effective campaigns. In essence, pass-through funding is a grant facilitated by the Federal government to state or local governments who then award grants to a respective organization after meeting the eligibility terms (Weisburd & Braga, 2019). The Federal government considers this the best initiative since it considers the state or local government to know which are the notable initiatives in the community that require funding. In other words, the US government provides funds to state governments, giving sub-awards to other organizations to facilitate public-inclined initiatives. Therefore, a law enforcement agency can actively consider developing an initiative that would make them suitable to be part of the pass-through kitty (Weisburd & Braga, 2019). For example, a local police development can develop an initiative such as a neighborhood watch program. This will be prospective for law enforcement as they will benefit from the pass-through funding, specifically through the federal crime prevention programs. Having an initiative is vital towards receiving the funding since the police agency will be competing against other grant applicants in their respective jurisdictions (Weisburd & Braga, 2019). As such, local law enforcement agencies should consider implementing initiative programs to capitalize on pass-through funding.
Law enforcement agencies can present their case for increased fund appropriations to their respective state government. In essence, state or local governments provide funds to their various departments based on their needs in a process called formula funding (Weisburd & Braga, 2019). Formula funding refers to the procedural step used by state governments to provide funds to pre-determined recipients to meet a specific need. This is an essential undertaking as it ensures that a particular department will receive the right amount of money to meet their needs. In this course, law enforcement should capitalize on this niche to provide explicit accounts of where their expenditures will be utilized. Police departments should conduct due diligence to collect sufficient data to determine the need for policing in respective areas (Weisburd & Braga, 2019). This will be important as it will help uncover all the areas that require funding and how much it will cost. Markedly, police departments are known to be discrete about their expenses, due to reasons unknown. However, it is time for a paradigm shift since grant approval involves an extensive application process. The police department seeking more funding through grant applications should ensure that they are open about their need for funding and how they will be utilized (Weisburd & Braga, 2019). This is primarily because most state grants require a detailed budget. Therefore, it is relevant that police departments, just like other organizations, should be compelled to be open about their practices. They should also provide persuasive cases by giving specific details about the impact that the grant will have on their operations and, overall, the community.
Law enforcement agencies should become proactive in initiating social responsibility or community-led projects to capitalize on corporate funding. Markedly, private organizations in the United States provide up to $50 billion annually in funding to organizations (Kilgallon, 2019). This support is facilitated by organizations that center their efforts on community-based projects, which typically fall outside the parameters of grants provided by the government. Corporate organizations fund new or existing projects. That said, law enforcement agencies should actively engage in community policing projects and seek funding to meet this need. Community policing is a contemporary approach in policing that shifts from patrol and crime prevention to accommodating policing operations that create bonds with the respective community (Kilgallon, 2019). For example, a police department can consider hosting a Community Academy to provide the community members with information about how the police department works. The goal of this undertaking will be to increase understanding and communication between citizens and the police. It will also help police find practical solutions to problems that affect the neighborhood. Additionally, Community Academy can entail recruiting and training community volunteers on community policing (Kilgallon, 2019). The police department can consider developing a program that will include a resource fair, an event featuring police displays, or holiday festivities. With these needs in mind, law enforcement agencies can then apply for corporate funding. This is a primary concern for consideration as most corporates fund initiatives that are centered on the needs of the community. For example, grocery stores chains such as Safeway and Aldi and national freight road companies such as Union Pacific, Chessie Seaboard Multiplier (CSX), and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp (BNSF) are notable organizations that have awarded grants to police initiatives that are geared to awards public safety and emergency responses (Kilgallon, 2019). Similarly, law enforcement agencies should follow through on these and other private companies’ grant-awarding formulas and develop initiatives that meet their requirements.
Finally, law enforcement agencies can form non-profit foundations to raise funds. As noted in the preceding sections, police departments require more funding to meet daily operation costs and other initiatives that strengthen the police force and the profession. For this reason, the budget that it receives from its local government is not enough. Law enforcement agencies should consider forming police foundations to bridge the funding gap, which can assist in acquiring the latest equipment and provide training aimed to improve operational efficiency and personnel safety (Weisburd & Braga, 2019). Police departments should form police foundations with the Board of Trustees that include community representative and legal and financial professionals. A police foundation will be significant towards raising income through donations, grant applications, and sponsored events. The foundation will also be prospective in reaching private organizations that have been restricted to award grants to government agencies due to tax laws(Weisburd & Braga, 2019). As such, a police foundation will allow the police department to access funding as they will be operating as a non-profit entity.
Summing up, law enforcement agencies should seek subtle means to raise more capital to meet their increasing policing needs. The police department should develop effective campaigns to qualify for pass-through grants. State or local law enforcement agencies should ensure that they are open regarding their operations to be eligible for formula funding. This will entail being explicit regarding why they need more money and how it will be utilized. Law enforcement agencies should be proactive in initiating community-led initiatives to capitalize on corporate funding. Finally, the police department should consider forming police unions, as a non-profit organization, to solicit funds from the public to support their initiatives.
References
Kilgallon, A. (2019). Police interaction and Notting Hill Carnival. Policing and society. Taylor & Francis.
Rushin, S., & Michalski, R. (2020). Police Funding. Fla. L. Rev., 72, 277.
Weisburd, D., & Braga, A. A. (Eds.). (2019). Police innovation: Contrasting perspectives. Cambridge University Press.