Question

What are contract, consolidated, and civilianized police services and what are the advantages and limitations of each? Do we see this in other areas of the Criminal Justice system?

Answer 1

What are contract, consolidated, and civilianized police services and what are the advantages and limitations of each? Do we see this in other areas of the Criminal Justice system?

Contract police services

• Contract policing is when a unit of government maintaining its own police agency but contracting with another jurisdiction for services it cannot afford

Advantages

• It saves cost of operation

Disadvantages

• It is autonomous, so hard to control

Consolidated police services

• It is the merging of two or more city or county governments into a single policing entity

Advantages

• It avoides duplication of services and the ability to purchase equipment in larger volume
• It achieves economy of scale

Disadvantages

• the initial cost of implementing consolidation can be high

Civilianized? police services

• It uses non-sworn personnel, thus freeing sworn officers for critical police work

Advantages

• It can be much more cost-effective

Disadvantages

• It is controversial