Choose ONE of the two assignment options outlined below to complete.

Option 1

Compare two law enforcement departments within the jurisdiction in which you live or one in which you are familiar. Review the organizations’ websites. Select one large department and one small department.

Complete the following in a 1,250-1,500-word essay.

1. Evaluate how each department’s system communicates (e.g., a top-down/bottom-up approach). Provide detailed examples of the communication structure.
2. Develop a set of interview questions that address the communication style that is used in each organization.
3. Interview someone in the chain of command (a lieutenant, sergeant, or captain) in each organization.
4. Discuss the interviewee’s perspective on communication, to include: roles and responsibilities, techniques and tools, and effective and ineffective communication practices. Delineate the interview questions you asked when describing the responses.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

Option 2

Complete scholarly research using empirical case studies to describe top-down and bottom-up approaches to communication within law enforcement organizations. Write a 1,250-1,500-word essay with three to five resources that includes the following:

1. A thorough discussion of the types of communication styles used in law enforcement agencies, such as top-down and bottom-up. Provide examples.
2. Explain how communication should be used in an organization, to include: roles and responsibilities involved in communication, techniques and tools to better communicate, and an analysis of effective and ineffective communication practices.