Program Implementation in Phoenix

¶ … program proposal like this would require an amount of $700,000. There would be at least three main positions: a field manager, an accountant, and a grant coordinator to ask the government to fund such a program. It would be centered in a city close to the southern border like the city of Phoenix. Law enforcement considers Phoenix, in recent years, to be a major distribution center for human smuggling and narcotics activity operations. This is due to the city's close proximity to the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

In fact, the American government considers Phoenix to be the "Kidnapping Capital" within the U.S. with Mexico City being a close second. Therefore, the program will focus on observations and lookouts to determine if criminal activities are taking place within Phoenix. The people responsible for such criminal activity are known to wear police insignias, are dressed in tactical gear, and are armed with heavy firepower. These are things to look for when performing evaluations within the program. It will be a mixture of intelligence gathering and surveillance.

In order to perform the task of surveillance and intelligence gathering, the program would need to implement sophisticated investigative strategies, meaning additional training for participants in the program. Those working in the program would also need GPS tracking technology as well as other covert counter-investigative techniques. Other programs that rely on surveillance result in reduced chances of success because of unavailability of technical support.

A sword detective as well as the addition of someone like a criminal intelligence analyst will allow for greater communication between those in the field and off, as well as provide support for bigger tasks like collaborating with other organizations like HIDTA. The total thus far in the program would be five personnel with a computer and computer software necessary for conducting research and examine data gathered that helps to identify any associations among crime groups and criminals.

The kind of surveillance equipment used will be covert cameras and microphones, Title III wiretaps, and surveillance platforms like store fronts. Quantitative and qualitative performance measures must be integrated into the program in order to help enable sound external and internal reviews of the program in order to proceed to the next phase of program implementation.

For example, a qualitative performance measure that checks for project performance can enable viewing of steps taken to implement performance directives and decide which areas can be used as a type of feedback mechanism to augment procedures and policies. A recent article discussed qualitative methods such as interviews to gain data for assessment.

"The methodology was primarily qualitative and included: interviews with strategic and operational managers; interviews and focus groups with front line staff; workshops to map partnership and criminal justice system changes and a focus on exemplar interventions at three sites " (Wong, Meadows, Webb & Young, 2013, p. 1). These measures allowed for greater interpretation of data which should be used in a program like this. The program may also use the qualitative performance model to identify trends and narrow gaps between targeted and real performance.

Existing DOE program and project management procedures such as EVMS or Earned Value Management System can be integrated into this kind of model and titled assessment processes. The quantitative aspect of to assess program data will be benchmarking since it is an integral aspect of an ongoing improvement cycle. Data is measured, compared to competition. Evaluators then identify opportunities for improvement. Data collection will be given to the people responsible for surveillance. This can happen both in the field and off.

The sword detective for example can enable collaboration with other agencies to gather intelligence that is transmitted to the office for the analyst to examine. External hard drives will be used to store important and sensitive information. The analyst will be responsible for storing and analyzing the data in conjunction with effort from other agencies. Information can be taken from the program's effort as well as backlogged information from other programs and agencies.

Things to be concerned with are rates for reporting unexpected findings as these could help progress the aims of the program. "Evaluation researchers recognize the value of reporting unexpected findings and have developed evaluation approaches that increase the likelihood of discovering unanticipated benefits" (Maxfield & Babbie, 2014, p. 65). Since performance, communication, and efficiency are paramount within a program of this nature, feedback mechanisms must be in place in order to provide transparency and ongoing stability/improvement for clients, staff, and stakeholders.

Bi-monthly or monthly meetings between those that funded the program and those working in the program can keep information transmitted up-to-date. People collaborating with the program can contact the program manager at any time if problems arise. Communication through phone, email, in person, or even through online resources.