You have been appointed the new commissioner of the Anycity Police Department. Anycity is a suburban
city 60 miles from a major U.S. city; it has a population of 30,000 people and a police department of 100
officers. The major police problems in Anycity are disorderly teens making unnecessary noise at night,
parking and traffic problems in the commercial district during business hours, and daytime residential
burglaries.
The former commissioner’s assistant tells you that the department has no organizational chart, no written
rules or procedures, and “has always done a great job in the past.” Anycity’s city manager, however, tells
you that the former commissioner was incompetent and that the department is totally disorganized and
ineffective.
You review the department’s personnel records and find that of the 100 officers in the department, 30
percent are patrol officers, 30 percent are detectives, and 40 percent are supervisors. In view of what you
learned in this chapter, would you reorganize the department? Why, or why not? If you would reorganize,
how would you do it?
Sample Solution
