Slumping tax revenue and overspending have resulted in budget shortfalls in almost every region of the nation. The current economic crisis is forcing governments to take dramatic steps to balance budgets in nearly all categories by laying off employees, cutting services, reducing overtime, and eliminating expenditures.

As the financial crisis has deepened, the pressure for law enforcement agencies to face the new realities of shrinking budgets, layoffs, and decreasing services to the public has grown. Local, state, and federal law enforcement departments have devoted vast efforts to surviving the crisis. In the meantime, in this environment of heightened financial scrutiny and audit volatility, police executives face particular risks when communicating with personnel and making judgments about financial issues. When such a large number of officers are facing layoffs, it brings another level of problems to law enforcement administrators and requires very specific and ethical approaches. Concerned and honest executives have done the right thing, explaining that jobs are at risk and that nobody can count on job security at a time like this and that those who might be able to find another position should make plans just in case. Some police organizations are warning that deeper cuts may be coming.

Police departments all over the nation are streamlining patrols, reducing training, evaluating the non-personnel-related expenses, and cutting back on some programs as their budgets fall victim to the struggling economy. Cuts to programs and training might affect the departments’ abilities to meet the standards of professionalism. Any plan for elimination or reductions in service must include specifics about how the changes will affect the community. Protecting public safety is a fundamental obligation of law enforcement agencies. But how can they continue to provide a high degree of public safety during difficult economic times? While crime rates have continued to decline over the last decade, there has also been significant concern from the homeland security perspective.

The key current issue for law enforcement administrators should be the need to develop new strategies aimed at maintaining public safety while reducing expenditures without any drawback on quality of policing.

This issue of the Forum focuses on the impact of the budget cuts and the related problems confronting local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies within the United States and in many nations throughout the world. This collection of articles provides an overview of the topics surrounding current financial trends and security, presents valuable information on the current resources available to law enforcement, and examines the concerns and obstacles that currently surround the discussion over possible solutions and remedies. It is our hope that the collection of articles presented in this issue will prove to be a useful tool for all readers.

Vladimir Sergevnin, PhD
Editor

Other Searches