The Role Of A Sheriffs Department Social Work Essay

The federal role Of A Sheriffs segment Social Work EssayThe sheriff is an elected county appointed at that placefore deputies and those who work for the part tend to cast a contiguous blood with the citizens in that particular city. According to LaFrance and Placide (2009), article on the unlike leadership styles of police and sheriff, most of the quantify, Sheriffs curb risen through with(predicate) the ranks of the sheriffs constituent ein truthwhere time before running for election therefore they atomic number 18 place-bound. Beca example up they atomic number 18 elected, they might feel some(prenominal) of an obligation to remain at their posts sluice when there is an adversarial relationship with the county and its board.Rowan D. Williams states that Bad human communication leaves us less room to grow, well I grew from this internship with the sheriffs office. They were departing to let me actualize and be a part of some(prenominal) war cry that woul d non put my deportment in all(prenominal) danger. They answered all(prenominal) questions and allowed me to record and grow the procedure of option let out composing work. The internship with the Cherokee County Sheriffs shoes was e genuinelything I pass judgment an internship to be. I went into this internship with an open mind willing to learn and observe as much as possible, regardless of the warnings that it was more cows and horses accordingly stack. Expecting to do a variety of things which would not except progress to me a writing to lay aside but as well as an idea of what I wanted to do with my criminal justice grade. All of my personal learning objectives were answered. If the undivided I was with at the time could not answer a question, so I was directed to the persons who could. Interning with the Cherokee County Sheriff Department was a genuinely enlightening bring forth incur me more awargon of what my lifes goals were and were not. I gained a lot of firsthand experience and was able to ne posterinalrk with a lot amazing undivideds. From the observations I do while interning with much(prenominal) averative individuals gave me new view for the manner in which the legal process is reviewed.I perplexed my internship as the ride along and the sack upt was 600am-600pm, heretofore the deputies modify started at 545am. The overlap jock the deputies who were virtually to punch out get off sooner. Roll call is held e actually morning. This is where the deputies receive whatever allegeation from the night crew or any policies and procedures which changed while they were off. They inspect their weapons, cars, and any dissimilar device which may hinder them from doing their gambol. After the roll call, the supervisor at each precinct briefed the deputies on what was going on deep down their zone and who I would be horseback riding with. Then the deputies would disperse and began zoning or patrolling.Stan Crow derThe Cherokee County Sheriffs Office runs their business office with racy authoritatives. Deputy Hackard describes the sheriffs department as aiming to be Triple Cr aver be argonr with its accreditations. The study which every representative participates in prep ars the deputy for his job and too their partners job. This self-confidence goes beyond all requirements for accreditation. Cherokee County, which was the first agency in gallium to run through accreditation through The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), is excessively serenity Officer Standards and Training ( stigmatize) certified and tabun certified. individually certification holds its own persona within the agencys policy and procedures. The agency builds its policy and procedures around the standards and requirements of CALEA and POST. The agency has not yet trustworthy accreditation from Ameri lowlife Correctional Association (ACA) take down so they agree standards similar to those that ar already required. This agency strives to maintain and go beyond all standards to peck itself apart from the rest as it relates to its citizens. invariably organism in development helps the department manifest a mind, within the deputies, able to critically examine situations in distinct scenarios. Wesley Phillips and Darrell Norman write in their article that by engaging in critical thinking, justice enforcement professionals should give multiple solutions to riddles by constantly questioning and challenging their strengths, and examining decision-making preferences and practices (2009). The didactics which is required by the agency also helps the deputies help each separate in their job.Even though the agency is certified through other designs the two which sincerely have a large tint on how the department will conduct business ar POST and CALEA. POST is an essential asset to the Cherokee Sheriffs office. It is a program which basically train s the department on gun usage and ethics that argon mandatory and every agency in tabun must(prenominal) be certified in. Even though CALEA is not mandatory, it does so much more for an agency. According to the departments website having this form of accreditation strengthen an agencys accountability, both(prenominal) within the agency and within the club. However, with CALEA it is more of a standard and rules. This accreditation is not mandatory and more than a few agencies in tabun do not have this accreditation within the department. in that location be two reasons why more agencies do not have money or man power. Cherokees Sheriff Office possesses an extremely hardworking and serious group of individuals whose job is to be quite k immediatelyledgeable about CALEA and assist in them maintaining their accreditation. other difference between the major two accreditations, POST and CALEA, is the process. With CALEA the deputies sit in classes and learn. They become aw ar of the policies and procedures to handle different scenarios. They also learn different honorable choices to make. Again CALEA is not mandatory but it does say a lot about an agency. Cherokee was the first agency in the state of Georgia to be accredited through CALEA. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies set the procedures and standards on things such as how to hand cuff or searches and seizures an individual correctly to how to write out reports. POST is a different entity in itself. To maintain your certification through POST you must go through cooking once a stratum, until now Cherokee requires their deputies to go through readying twice a year. According to the sheriffs department website, they require each police officer to secure 45 hours of P.O.S.T. approved bringing up during the calendar year. every(prenominal)thing the agency does to cleanse the department, exceeds the minimum. P.O.S.T. only requires 25 hours to retain.Every deputy in the sta te of Georgia must be POST certified to even carry a firearm. Peace Officer Standards and Training classes commonly last about 12 to thirteen weeks. Officers who finish then become to the full sworn officers aft(prenominal) they complete. Deputies also receive honorable training here as well. They go through a variety of academies and courses. Cherokee County maintains their accreditation by doing the following The office coordinates programing of personnel attendance at state and local training facilities, provides in-service training and monitors number of hours personnel receive annually to assure minimum requirements of the P.O.S.T. Council and the Sheriffs Office are met. Being in justness enforcement requires a lot of study work, but the training the deputies receive prepare and train them in filling out all paper work.When it comes to maintaining their accreditation, Cherokee County Sheriffs department exceeds the requirements. The deputies must re-qualify with their f irearms every year and the minimum score is eighty percent. They must have forty hours of training which is more then what CALEA requires. The department also leaves the option to sign up for more class if the deputies would like. The department goes beyond its requirements for the protection of the agency. If something was to happen on be half(prenominal) of one their employees not following protocol then the agency would be able to show that they provided training to that individual to make the right choices. I feel that the training and certifications are used by the department to be able to distance itself from law suits and unnecessary greet involvement.Cold graphic symbols in the Cherokee County Sheriffs department are reviewed annually. Cold reasons come about when there is not enough information to bring the case to a closing. These are hatreds or an accident that has not yet been solved fully and is not the enclose of a recent criminal investigation. Only the serious crimes fall below cold cases if they are not solved. However some serious crimes have statues of limitations, such as rape. Rape is only a cold case for seven days. Homicide and murder do not have any statues of limitations they can be reopen at any time. However, if there is not a perpetrator then there is not case and no case means some other cold case.The only agency the case can be reopen is with new information or with new witness testimony. In order for the deputy to get a warrant they only need probable cause however the regularize attorney needs beyond a reasonable doubt to win the case. So if the sheriff never gets the warrant because there is not enough evidence then the district attorney never gets the file and the case becomes cold. The investigators re-examined archives and retained natural evidence, as well as fresh activities of the suspect to reopen the case. go of crime investigation and detection work has undergone remarkable and deep mitigate in recent y ear. In large part this is attributable to significant advances that have been made across the forensic sciences, oddly in respect to the rapidly accelerating capacity to locate, collect, and analyze genetic materials this is why the sheriffs department is now able to reopen and solve more cases than in previous years (Innes and Clarke, 2009). In order to reopen a case there must be new information.Cherokee county has a variety of cultures with the county tone. The deputies come in intimacy with language barriers and culture differences. You have the huge Hispanic community and then you have the white and black communities. The training which the deputies receive is more of an ethical training. Standards for ethical training are set by The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Then the department adds onto the standards set by CALEA. They do not receive any training on how to speak to the Hispanic community, however there are Spanish speaking individuals who work for the department. The department also now makes sure that every shift has an individual who is fluent in Spanish working with them. Some of the deputies I spoke with even say that they experienced a culture shock. That they were not prompt for the culture and community they now had to provide service to. The department does not reach out any form of skill training to prepare their deputies for the diversity within the county. burbot Wyatt-Nichol and George Franks (2009) found in their article that Many professionals and organizations in the law enforcement community hold that ethics training bridges the gap between pen policies and actual behavior by introducing or reinforcing rules and resideations of behavior. Ethics instruction exposes officers to ethical dilemmas and scenarios through training prior to hitting the streets or moving up in rank. The ethical training is what keeps Cherokee County deputies grounded and professional. How the culture differences in the co unty also blowout a major role in the composition of the bounteous hold center inmates as well.Jennifer McMahon-HowardThe liberal cargo area center arranging in Cherokee is very small compared to other openhanded grip center systems. With over 544 inmates, there are eight housing pods in the adult clasp center and fourteen inmates on each floor. There are both females and males in the adult handgrip center. The gender composition of the adult clasp center is about 86.21% male and 13.79% female. Out of the males percentage the racial compositions is 66.10% white, 19.19% black, 14.50% Hispanic, and 0.21% other. The female composition is racially divided with 81.33% existence white, 16.00% black, 2.67% Hispanic, and 0.00% other. The racial composition of the adult handle center is a reflection of the county. In the 2009 Census, Cherokee County population was tranquil of 81.1% white, 6.2% black, 9.4% Hispanic, and 3.3% other. If majority of the county is of the white race than the majority of the composition of the adult detention center will be of the white race. With composition of the adult detention center being so drastic officers have to be fully aware of their environment.Victims in Cherokee County are treated like victims regardless if they are legal or illegal. The department offers different work with help line numbers to the victims of crimes. One of the services they provide to victims of family violence is The Cherokee Family Violence center on (CFVC). The information for their services comes on a small business card, which deputies are able to hand out if there is a victim. The business card list contact information as well information on how to handle a case of family violence. CFVC is an emergency shelter which provides a 24 hour crisis hotline. They also have other valuable services such as therapy for children and they even serve as a legal advocacy. CFVC has even taking their service to the next step by making their services ava ilable to Hispanics. Cherokee County also has a program where they keep the victim inform of the whereabouts of the offenders, The Cherokee County Victim-Witness Assistance Program.The program is called Victim Information Notification Everyday (VINE). These program uses computer technology and the telephone system to provide offender storage area information 24 hours a day. The system provides the custody status to the victim, including arrest, release, and off information. The victim is known only by a pin number. The deputies participate in different activities prepare them for these kind of events the deputies never know what they are about walk into when called out to domestic dispute. The training which the department provides to its deputies is very necessary it prepares them for different situations, including victims which may be undocumented or illegal. There is not a police written on how to handle a victim, so many of the deputies rely on their discretion, training, an d ethical values. When dealing with any victim along with the policies set forth by the department, the training reliable plays a role as well. On the departments website it states that CALEA Accreditation facilitates an agencys pursuit of professional excellence, so the deputies are eer presenting and representing the department in a manner which is very professional.Cherokee Sheriffs Department receives training in classes on ethics to get them prepared for the victims who may be here illegally or those of a different culture. In Kenneth Dowlera and Raymond Sparks (2008) article, on the relationship between law enforcement and victims, states that victims might have direct contact with police by reporting their victimization, although some victims exact not to report the crime. Thus the attitudes of some crime victims toward police might be influenced by the quality of their contact with police. The way that deputies and the department present themselves to victims of crime mus t be professional. This is the only way to build a relationship with the undocumented victims or those of a different culture.One of the deputies burst tongue to that sometimes it is nasty to get across to a victim that you are there to help them because they are scared. He went on to say that in many Mexican areas the police are corrupt so there is not a victim-police relationship. Jennifer Chacn states that unauthorized peoples are more under fire(predicate) to threats because they perpetrators know that efforts to empathisek legal recourse can results in lengthy immigration detention, criminal prosecution, and, of course removal., the deputies of Cherokee County reckon that any person, regardless of their citizenship, is a victim if a crime has being displumeted against them, before they are an illegal. So they use their discretion and to maintain a healthy relationship with the victims of crimes.Ella BallardDiscretion is defined by Terenceas Daintith as a legally effect ed power of decision. It is a staple element in both administrative and contractual arrangements, but whereas its judicial control provides the core of administrative law, it is but even ac companionshipd as an issue in the standard administration on contract (2005). Discretion can be found in an officers decision to use a legal sanction. That is, an officer exercises discretion in whether to s poll a craft offender, to give a ticket, or to make an arrest. Some police officers operate in an environment where they are ofttimes alone in their contacts with citizens causing them to move expeditiously to diffuse situations. Each officer is different and may have pet peeves about accepted violations whether in the community or while in confinement, community perceptions are important because the department wants the majority of the community to be supportive. However, officers that work more from emotions rather than factual representation tend to abuse the use of discretion. In comm unities where the officers knew the people in community the violations may be dealt with differently because they are familiar those individuals. The perception of the offense to the officer is what influences the treatment of the party involved. The use of discretion can be closely related to how the officers worked with one another, being that they spend a significant amount of time on cases unitedly causes them to seek peer advice.An officer influence on discretions can guess from many elements. When the nature of the crime has a child involve the deputy may tend to be more aggressive toward the alleged criminal, especially if they have a child of their own. Another major element is the department policy. If the department makes it a policy that everyone who is stopped in a traffic stop gets a ticket then that is what the officer must follow. In Cherokee County, the sheriff has made it where no one gets a ticket driving over 10 mile per hour. Scott Phillips (2008) makes a point in his article about the use of discretions when he states, Officers use discretion in traffic-stop decisions, but many state legislatures now require departments to gather traffic-stop data to study and potentially deter racial profiling. Many agencies make it very difficult for deputies to use their own discretion, especially since profiling can become an issue.The organisational construction of the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office is decentralize. onward the decentralise mental synthesis the department was centralized. The structure of the agency is very important because it dictates who report to whom and it also determines the response time. In the decentralized structure everything goes through a chain of individual before it comes to the desk of Sheriff Garrison. The superior runs just the shift in the decentralized structure. This includes all precincts. Each shift has one captain, so it is more work for the captain in the decentralized structure. In the centralized st ructure the captain ran just the precinct. Every deputy in that precinct would report to that captain. With the centralized structure everyone was on one knave and was able to know what was going on in the precinct at the extraction of each shift because they were being ran by one person. With the decentralized structure each shift is ran differently and the adjustment from one shift to another is difficult.Each organizational structure works, however majority of the individual I spoke with thought that the centralized structure worked better for the agency. At the top of the organizational chart is Sheriff Garrison and at the bottom of the chart is the detention centers Chaplin. Before you get to the sheriff, there is Chief Vic West and the special operations unit. Beside the special operations units are also the individual over the accreditation and certification. exceptional operations, which is ran by professional Satterfield, and Headquarters Operation, ran by Captain Marti n, works in concert and very closely with each other. Underneath training and accreditation are adult detention center operations, uniform patrol operations, investigative operations, and emergency management.The agencys organizational structure has many departments to maintain. I was assigned to the training department, but I got to speed majority of my time with the patrol unit. From the patrol unit, I spent some time within the detention center and then the courts. The time spent in the detention center was the worse for me, however there I got to visit the other departments of the agency. Within the agency you have the S.W.A.T unit, V.I.P.E.R, CID, K-9, the GCIC, patrol, and discussion only to name a few. V.I.P.E.R, which is acronym for Violent Incident Pro-active Enforcement Response, targets high crime areas in Cherokee. They are in conjunction with SWAT, CMANS (narcotics unit), and the gang unit. Their main purpose is to reduce criminal activities and certain areas. They al so assist other units in the agency. CID is the agency investigation fragment. They investigate all crimes after the report has being made by the deputies. S.W.A.T is the departments most prestige unit. The unit trains on a daily bases and also participate in different mock economy drills. The agencys website states that, all team members are required to pass a loaded physical fitness test and demonstrate elevated shooting skills with a variety of specialized weapons. There are currently ten members, however there is only one lady apart S.W.A.T. Cherokee County Sheriffs Office has so many different units, but it training unit is what prepare the deputies for those situations where their life depend on it.Before the start of my internship with this agency, I spoke with a gentleman by the name of Captain Joe Satterfield. He explained to me all the interns duties and responsibilities and gave me the forms in which I needed to fill out. Captain Satterfield appeared to b very unfeign ed forward, and from the tone in his voice it appeared he really enjoyed what he does. I later knowing that the emotions I experienced during my time with Captain Satterfield were feelings I would feel with everyone in the department I came in contact with.Captain Satterfield began his career in law enforcement 19 years ago when he was the age of 22 years old. He chose this career because he felt like it was an exciting way of living and that seemed like something fun to do. Before he started his career he attended Abraham Baldwin College. There he received his associates degree in criminal justice and a technical degree in law enforcement. Once Captain Satterfield got a job with Cherokee he received a scholarship to further his education. The scholarship came through the department from Reinhardt College. Satterfield received his bachelors degree in history and he also receive magna cum laude. After graduating he enrolled into Columbus States graduate program, where he received his masters degree in public administration.Satterfield has had a great reach on the Cherokee Sheriffs Department. His career path started with him being in the adult detention center for about a year, every deputy starts in the adult detention center. From the adult detention center he moved very quickly to the uniform patrol unit, where he stayed for about eight and half years. Mr. Satterfield was promoted to sergeant then to lieutenant with that division. He was then to the training division where he remained for eight years. Currently Captain Satterfield is the commander over all of the following units S.W.A.T., K-9, negotiation and biking. However, out all the position Satterfield has being over, he felt like training was the position which made the greatest impact to the department. He stated that the decision he made about training not only made an impact on the deputies but also the mannerism they would tone-beginning different situations. Training goes a long way especial ly when it is done the right way.Captain Satterfield is happy where within his career. He states that he would not change anything or do anything differently. He went on to explain the key to keeping family life separate from work life. Satterfield explained to always be focus on what you are doing and be able to commit to that situation. He explains that everyone will come to that point in their career where it is a challenge to maintain the family and work, but you must stay focused. The person has to approach the situation in the right manner. When you are talking to your child you are a parent you are not the drill instructor from training anymore. Satterfield does not have any plans on running for the Sheriff of Cherokee County. As I conversed with Captain Satterfield I acquired that he feels like he has a great interest in law enforcement and being Sheriff will not give him that hands on experience he likes. During our conversation I asked him if he could briefly describe him self in five powerful words in which he chose the following words leader, disciplinary, manager, professional, and inspirational.If I had to describe my internship to another scholar while trying to sell them the experience which I have had, I would begin with get toilet of rest. There is land and more land, with plenty of cows and farms. I would go on to explain that the individual are very in tune with their career and down to earth. The individual of Cherokee are kind and love talking. There are a few deputies who must break the ice with before you began to ask questions. I would then inform them of the many houses which they would see form the ride-along. Be prepare to eat too because the deputies love to eat. Ask plenty of questions as well. There is so much to be learned at this internship, but you have to ask first. The internship is very similar to a job with the sheriffs department. The internship starts in the am and ends in the pm. It is a 12 hour shift but if there is nothing really to do then you can always work on prepare work. An internship with a sheriffs department will allow you to experience everything within the county. The internship is not like one with the Drug Enforcement Agency or Marietta Police Department however, it is one that you will always remember.Interning with the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The officers I worked with gave me the opportunity to participate in all of the excitement that the sheriffs office has to offer they were more than willing to teach, explain, and support me throughout the entirety of my internship. This experience has helped strengthen my career preparation for this field of work within law enforcement. Doing an internship really helps you gain a unique perspective into the world of law enforcement. I now look at some of the problems many young individual have with law enforcement and I am able to evaluate the problem to come to an answer.I have lea rned a lot of skills that will help me gain a career with a local law enforcement agency minor the physical agility test. Some of the skills that I have learned this year include the dispatch codes, filling out paper work, and different policies and procedures. Along with these skills I also was able to gain an wonder for the work that the law enforcement does. I feel as though I have learned more about the criminal justice system and the way it functions. From interning the schedule which the deputies work, 12 hour shifts, I was able to see and sometimes feel the strain of the job. I also helped fill out citations and enter the report in on file. Everything must have a paper trail when it comes to law enforcement. If it is not written down then it does not exist.I notice from looking at how evidence is handled that, even though it is a lot of paperwork, the paper helps protect the deputy and the department. Every hand that touches the evidence must sign it, therefore to where the evidence has been and how it got there. I also learned valuable lessons just from talking to different people through this internship wisdom goes a long way. They held nothing back and I felt as though they were straight forward when answering any of my questions. Deputy McElroy gave me the chance to experience everything from riding with the officers to sitting with them in the court rooms. I now also have a better rationality of what the sheriff department means to a county and it citizens.While I have learned a lot in my four years of Criminal judge classes between Augusta State and Kennesaw State, I do not believe anything can really compare to what I learned during my time as an intern with the sheriffs office. College course can provide us with the different facts and figures on the crime rate and the victimization rate. A teacher can give the class a hypothetical situation to be analyzed and create a solution. All of these different in class situations are usually observed and felt by others. To actually participate in these real life situations has a learning value above and beyond any typical classroom made of strictly course work. I would powerfully recommend the Cherokee County Sheriff Office internship to the next student. Participating in an internship gave me an idea of what to expect to a certain degree in the area of law enforcement, along with a vast number of general skills.I have gained an keep for the knowledge obtained through communication with the deputies. I was able to network and establish professional relationships, which will assist me in whichever path of law enforcement I choose to pursue. Ifeel privileged for being able to fit the opportunity I received to work with the men and women at the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office. My internship experiences have been worthwhile and very instrumental to my future plans as an individual in law enforcement. I will continuously build onto the amount of knowledge that I have obtained from this internship. The field of law enforcement can be difficult as one of the deputies stated, but I was afforded a good start with the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office.