The Wokefield Police Department (WPD) in Memphis, TN, encounters many external problems that need effective solutions. One of the concerns brought up by the citizens is the growing number of carjackings, especially among juveniles (James, 2022). At the same time, the organization’s statistics show a decrease in productivity among officers while the budget is being used to its limit. Thus, the department needs new ideas for engaging officers to increase effectiveness, make budget spending more efficient, and solve a community issue.
Juvenile crimes are complex subjects for investigation, as young people require a unique approach to crime prevention and deterrence. In Memphis, recent statistics show that carjackings have increased by almost 70% by the end of 2021 (Turner, 2022). At the same time, it is reported that more than 80 young individuals were arrested for this crime in 2021, while the adult crime rate was only 65 people in the same year (Turner, 2022). Such numbers suggest a juvenile crime problem that can be partially explained by the pandemic’s change in social interactions and the ability to wear masks in social settings. Additionally, a youth trend may be a sign of ineffective crime-solving, poor deterrence strategies, and lacking alternative opportunities for young people.
To develop a solution, one needs to root the actions of potential and acting offenders in theory. According to the rational choice theory, individuals commit crimes after analyzing the benefits and risks of their outcomes (Hudik, 2019). For young individuals, this theory may demonstrate that their perception of cost and reward is different from that of adults, as they are more likely to be driven by social pressure from their peers (Hudik, 2019). Moreover, they are exposed to the risk of reoffending, especially in an environment of low solved crime rates and ineffective prevention policies.
Thus, to respond to these problems, two solutions can be introduced by the WPD while also increasing officers’ participation and improving their morale. First, a community outreach program for youth crime prevention in collaboration with local organizations is proposed. In this program, officers are tasked with hosting youth-centered events to build better relationships with community members and increase outreach (Park & Noe, 2020). During these meetings, police officers should work with local organizations to address the issues of juvenile crime and focus on alternative opportunities for crime prevention, such as environment creation, trust building, and education and employment opportunities. The program is also designed to engage officers, improving the department’s status in the community.
The second proposed solution targets repeat offenders and is designed to prevent reoffending as well as to lower crime rates. Based on the research by Dzik (2019), a habitual monitoring program for repeat offenders can be effective in lowering juvenile crime rates. A designated task force is created from the pool of officers to routinely monitor repeat offenders and supervise young individuals who are more likely to engage in carjacking again. It should be emphasized that this initiative does not target non-offenders and focuses only on court-ordered sanctions as a reason for monitoring. It is expected that this initiative will positively affect officer engagement and increase their productivity.
In conclusion, the current external issue for law enforcement in Memphis, TN, is high rates of juvenile crime, especially carjacking. Simultaneously, the department has a problem with the low productivity of police officers. These problems should be tackled by introducing new initiatives that build better community outreach and lower rates of reoffending. The suggested programs include officer collaboration for youth crime prevention and monitoring for repeat offenders.
References
Dzik, A. M. (2019). Habitual Offender Monitoring Enforcement (HOME) Task Force: Combating auto thefts committed by habitual juvenile offenders [Doctoral dissertation, Nova Southeastern University]. NSU Florida.
Hudik, M. (2019). Two interpretations of the rational choice theory and the relevance of behavioral critique. Rationality and Society, 31(4), 464-489. Web.
James, J. (2022). Memphis organization, leaders discuss solutions to juvenile crime. News Channel 3. Web.
Park, J. R., & Noe, S. O. (2020). Research on international examples on prevention of juvenile delinquency. Journal of The Korea Society of Computer and Information, 25(8), 151-157. Web.
Turner, D. (2022). FOX13 INVESTIGATES: Number of Memphis carjackings spikes during the pandemic. MSN. Web.