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Northern Essex Community College

Module 3 Prep Activity

Review the activity overview, learning objectives, directions, and submission expectations before submitting your work.

Overview

Police agencies can be organized in many different ways. Organizational structure affects communication, decision-making, supervision, innovation, accountability, and operational effectiveness. Some police departments emphasize centralized control and clearly defined chains of command, while others encourage flexibility, specialization, and collaborative problem-solving.

This activity asks you to compare competing organizational models and evaluate which structure would be most effective for a modern police department. You will prepare arguments supporting different approaches to police administration and be prepared to defend your position during an in-class debate.

Learning Objectives

(These objectives support the prep activity and are not the questions to be answered.)

  • LO1: Explain how police organizations are structured and administered. (SLO2)
  • LO2: Evaluate how organizational design influences communication, supervision, decision-making, and operational effectiveness within police agencies. (SLO2)
Prep Topic
  • Imagine that you have been hired as the Chief of Police for the growing city of Ganymede.
  • Your department currently operates using the Mintzberg Model. City leaders are considering replacing it with another organizational structure.
  • Create a bullet list of arguments supporting both positions below.
  • Position A: The Mintzberg Model should remain in place because it provides the best organizational structure for a modern police agency.
  • Position B: The Mintzberg Model should be replaced by one of the following:
    • Simple Structure
    • Machine Bureaucracy
    • Professional Bureaucracy
    • Divisionalized Structure
    • Adhocracy
  • Select one alternative organizational model and prepare at least five talking points explaining why it would outperform the Mintzberg Model.
  • For both positions, consider:
    • Agency size
    • Population served
    • Education levels of officers and supervisors
    • Technology integration and interoperability
    • Communication effectiveness
    • Decision-making speed
    • Officer accountability
    • Adaptability to change
    • Community expectations
    • Operational efficiency
  • Be prepared to defend either position during class regardless of your personal opinion.
  • During the in-class activity, your team may be assigned either the Mintzberg Model or one of the competing organizational structures.
Acceptable & Ethical Use of AI
  • You may use AI tools to help identify characteristics of organizational structures discussed in the course; however, you should independently verify any information before including it in your prep activity.
  • If you use AI to assist with brainstorming or research, your final prep must reflect your own analysis, conclusions, and understanding of the course material.
Directions

Please read all instructions carefully before submitting your prep activity.

  • Your prep should be no longer than 1 page.
  • This NOT a paper but rather talking points in bullets for our in-class meeting.
  • Abstract NOT needed.
  • Sources are NOT needed.
  • Submissions are checked against a Plagiarism Checker and AI Detector.
    • Direct quotes should not exceed 15% of the total paper.
    • AI Usage – you must use AI ethically. Papers written by an AI is cheating.
  • Stop over-thinking this activity. It should be a simple list of talking points.
Submission Guidelines
  • Submit your prep activity through the designated submission area.
  • Accepted formats include Word or PDF unless otherwise specified.
  • Review the grading rubric before submitting your work.
  • Submissions are checked using both a plagiarism checker and AI detection software.
  • Direct quotations should not exceed 15% of the total submission.
Important Reminder

Important: All work must be your own. AI may be used only in the limited and ethical ways described above. Using AI to write your submission is considered academic dishonesty. This activity is intended to prepare you for class discussion, so focus on creating your own talking points and analysis.