An Analysis of the Scottsdale Police Department s Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan Evaluation of the City of Scottsdale, Arizona

Today, the quarter million residents of Scottsdale, Arizona, enjoy a high quality of life due in large part to the dedicated efforts of its law enforcement authorities. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the strategic plan (hereinafter alternatively “the Plan”) developed by the City of Scottsdale. To this end, a discussion concerning the individual components of the Plan’s SWOT analysis is followed by a description of the technology and/or social media being addressed in the Plan as well as potential futures that may impact its implementation and administration. In addition, a determination as to whether the justifications and assumptions for strategies are adequately articulated in the Plan is followed by an explanation concerning how measures support and ensure follow-through and implementation of the Plan’s strategies. Finally, a description of the potential limitations or challenges with the Plan is followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning the Scottsdale Police Department’s strategic plan in the conclusion.

Discuss individual components of the SWOT analysis as presented in the Strategic Plan

Some of the key individual components of the SWOT analysis presented in Scottsdale’s Strategic Plan include the following:

Strengths:

Personnel: This strength is supported by the fact that Scottsdale’s police force has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies since 1994, its continuous top national ratings for livability and the city’s sustained low crime rate.

Leadership: The city’s top law enforcement leadership team, including its chief, are actively involved in the strategic planning process and individual leaders are assigned specific objectives over the course of the 3-year plan.

Community Support: The Plan’s stated commitment to serving the City of Scottsdale is reciprocated by an engaged community that supports its efforts.

Weaknesses:

Diversity: This is a real weakness since Scottsdale lacks significant demographic diversity at present. The city is overwhelmingly white in demographic composition, representing nearly 87% of its population; Asians comprise about 5.17% while blacks make up just 2.07%, Native Americans another 0.82% and other races account for miniscule percentages of the city’s population (Scottsdale Population, 2022).

New Technologies: The Plan emphasizes that emerging best national practices are requiring the use of new technologies and digital evidence that the police department currently lacks.

Opportunities:

Recruitment: Improving the recruitment function of the police department is one of the Plan’s strategic initiatives (#3.2).

Social Media: Expanding the police department’s social media presence is one of the Plan’s strategic initiatives (#1.2).

Threats:

Technology: The Plan notes that the police department will need to transition it forensic analyses into a laboratory setting in order to keep pace with criminal sophistication.

Crime Trends: The Plan emphasizes that responding to current trends in the types of crimes being experienced in Scottsdale, including an ongoing opioid epidemic and evidence of human trafficking will represent a significant challenge during the 3-year strategic plan and thereafter.

Describe the technology and/or social media being addressed in the Plan

Technology and social media are recurring themes in the Plan, with references to the need to update the police department’s surveillance technology and the need to acquire technologies that will facilitate interactions between citizens and first responders which are also emerging requirements for other law enforcement agencies (Gandhi, 2020). Likewise, as noted above, the Plan calls for expanding the police department’s social media footprint.

Identify futures (predictions) used in plan

Although the Plan predicts that tourism will remain an essential industry for Scottsdale well into the 21st century, it also projects a substantial increase in its population through mid-century.

Decide if justifications and assumptions for strategies are adequately articulated

To their credit, the police leadership team in Scottsdale did a commendable job in identifying major priorities for the city and how they can be addressed; however, the Plan does not explicate the rationale in support of all of its strategic initiatives, depending rather on amateurish PowerPoint graphics to do this job.

Explain how measures support and ensure follow-through and implementation of strategies

The Plan’s strategic initiatives call for periodic review and update of priorities in an iterative process as circumstances warrant.