Problem
The organization identified in the project is the Dumas police department. Its authority extends to the entirety of the state of Texas. The organization provides policing services to its communities. These include maintaining public peace, engaging in crime prevention through reactive or proactive measures, facilitating the capture, incarceration, and interrogation of individuals suspected of crimes, as well as many other activities associated with law enforcement. DPD has shown a marked decrease in burglary attempts over the given period, and its performance is rated good overall.
Nevertheless, there is a significant performance issue associated with preventing sexual assaults in the community. The number of yearly assaults has grown from 9 to 16 in 2023. Such a tendency suggests that the mechanisms currently in place to deter predators from their victims are no longer effective. As such, a different approach is required to protect the community from these individuals.
Solution
A potential solution for DPD involves work with the local advocacy and social engagement groups. The organization should recognize that it cannot place officers at every corner and that public surveillance is much more likely to help prevent the act or, at the very least, help catch the predator while placing the victim in protective custody. DPD should launch a public awareness campaign that would help recognize a sexual assault in progress, provide strategies for the prevention of such an activity, and explain the primary methods that predators utilize.
Information campaigns have been tried before, by various law enforcement agencies around the world. Beres (2020) reports that the involvement of rape-prevention educators and the general campaigning about the role of consent results in a net decrease in incidents over a longitudinal period, with at least a 20% reduction promised to communities that embrace the program. For DPD, it is an inexpensive way to improve efficiency and engage the community in the peacekeeping process.
Reference
Beres, M. (2020). Perspectives of rape-prevention educators on the role of consent in sexual violence prevention. Sex Education, 20(2), 227-238.