Response need to be at least 50 dollars Andrew Cassidy Saint Leo University Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Administration (CRJ 575) July 18, 2014 Dr. Donald G. Campbell Abstract The organizational design is a model that is used to structure a police department.  Colorado Springs Police Department operates by using a Matrix Structure organization.  The design attempts to more effective by making employees answer to more than one supervisor depending on the type of relationship status within the organization.    Background Colorado Springs Police Department serves to protect the family community since 1872.  The department stands to serve as a prevention in controlling crime.  They will enhance their agencies effectiveness and efficiency by cooperating with all law enforcement agencies in the criminal justice system.  Increasing confidence is part of their goals, objectives, policies and practices in the make up of this police department.  The Colorado Springs Police Department takes pride in controlling their liability exposure, accountability, community advocacy and improving morale in the community.  The mission statement promotes quality of life in this community.  The police department will do this through police services that have the highest integrity and sprit of excellence.  The Colorado Police Department has partnership with its community The Colorado Spring Police Department has a history like any other police department.  Current day in time they have their first African American Police Chief.  The police department has an organization structure that is unique in style.  Colorado prides itself in their department by the make up of multiple units and divisions that work together servicing the needs of the community.  The office of the chief of police goes two separate ways that report directly to the chief.  Those divisions are the patrol bureau and the operations support bureau.  The organizational chart looks something like a grid.  The department uses their own resources when policing the police by reporting to multiple supervisors.  Matrix Structure             A matrix structure operates by separating operations decentralizing the department and spreading them across all geographical areas. Combining specialized departments within this department is how this system works.  The matrix structure was design for larger departments.  An great example of this would be a department that has a large number of patrol districts who have detectives responsible for reporting on each of their assigned district.  The opposite of this would be to have all the patrol districts report into a central center.  The matrix Structure is very popular among state agencies such as highway patrol officers.  The whole system is designed and driven by the large geographical location in the area that they serve as well as the load of work they posses in this particular area.              Matrix structures can be expans.

1. Response need to be at least 50 dollars
Andrew Cassidy
Saint Leo University
Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Administration (CRJ
575)
July 18, 2014
Dr.
Donald G. Campbell
Abstract
The organizational design is a model that is used to structure a
police department. Colorado Springs Police Department
operates by using a Matrix Structure organization. The design
attempts to more effective by making employees answer to more
than one supervisor depending on the type of relationship status
within the organization.

2. Background
Colorado Springs Police Department serves to protect the family
community since 1872. The department stands to serve as a
prevention in controlling crime. They will enhance their
agencies effectiveness and efficiency by cooperating with all
law enforcement agencies in the criminal justice system.
Increasing confidence is part of their goals, objectives, policies
and practices in the make up of this police department. The
Colorado Springs Police Department takes pride in controlling
their liability exposure, accountability, community advocacy
and improving morale in the community. The mission statement
promotes quality of life in this community. The police
department will do this through police services that have the
highest integrity and sprit of excellence. The Colorado Police
Department has partnership with its community The Colorado
Spring Police Department has a history like any other police
department. Current day in time they have their first African
American Police Chief.
The police department has an organization structure that is
unique in style. Colorado prides itself in their department by
the make up of multiple units and divisions that work together
servicing the needs of the community. The office of the chief
of police goes two separate ways that report directly to the
chief. Those divisions are the patrol bureau and the operations
support bureau. The organizational chart looks something like a
grid. The department uses their own resources when policing
the police by reporting to multiple supervisors.
Matrix Structure
A matrix structure operates by separating operations
decentralizing the department and spreading them across all
geographical areas. Combining specialized departments within

3. this department is how this system works. The matrix structure
was design for larger departments. An great example of this
would be a department that has a large number of patrol
districts who have detectives responsible for reporting on each
of their assigned district. The opposite of this would be to have
all the patrol districts report into a central center. The matrix
Structure is very popular among state agencies such as highway
patrol officers. The whole system is designed and driven by the
large geographical location in the area that they serve as well as
the load of work they posses in this particular area.
Matrix structures can be expansive in their designs.
Most of these elaborate designs have a focus point of interest
such as high crime rates in their particular surrounding area.
Others high reasons might be sexually transmitted diseases,
juveniles, and unemployment. These areas might use patrol
divisions, gang units, narcotics units, social workers, probation
and parole, public health and safety officials, and school
officials for juveniles. The goal is to attack a primary reason
but serve to help reduce other crime involved. Governmental
agencies represent over 60 percent of the matrix structures used
in the law enforcement community. Problem-solving
partnerships are key in making the system work properly and
effectively. Constructing matrix types of units and
organizations allows the police department to be flexible
(Gaines, L.K. and Worrell, J.L., 2012). Allowing Police
departments to gather a mixture of resources exhibits better
problem-solving skills. The pitch can be made that by
restricting a particular agency or unit to gather information
could be detrimental in the alternative solutions that could have
be drawn. The biggest problem with a matrix structure is that
they are very hard to coordinate properly with the large number
of units and divisions contributing.
Colorado Spring Police Department Organizational Design
Officers in the Colorado Springs Police Department
understand the big picture. These officers are referred to as
beat officers who practice their mission and values in everyday

4. service. The department strives in education and training by
providing fiscal and human direction by way of direction form
local governmental agencies. Identifying priorities through this
type of direction provides intelligence from local agencies,
which help problem solving strategies. Colorado Springs Police
Department uses problem identification by way of intelligence
through local supporting agencies in the way of cooperativeness
for valuable input.
The advantage of this type of organizational design is in
the formation of specific groups of individuals, combining
varied talents and levels of expertise in order to fulfill a
designated mission or goal (
Swanson, C. R., Territo, L., and Taylor, R. W., 2012). The
Colorado Springs Police Department uses their expertise when
designing their organizational structure. The department is
based of the Chief of Police who presides over the
Administrative services bureau, operations support bureau and
the patrol bureau. The patrol division has four different
divisions and communication center in their portion of the
department. The operations bureau also has four divisions
which are investigations, (MVNI), Metro Vice Narcotics and
Intelligence Division, Specialized Enforcement and
Management Services. The Police department is made up into
two divisions using the matrix structure by falling into one or
the other category all the while answers to the chief of police.
The essential aspects of the Colorado Springs Police
Department concern the identifying and implementing process
that support the strategically structure of this department.
Matrix Structure Advantages and Disadvantages
The matrix system is a vertical organizational design.
It is meant to be understood from top to bottom by engulfing a
ladder. Everyone has a boss in more than one aspect of your
job. The set up brings together all supervisors and employees
from all different departments within the organization to fulfill
the mission. One efficient advantage to this system is the
information exchange. Being that the departments work so

5. close together this allows the communication of information
more likely. The process of becoming better communicators
allows for efficient productivity, which leads to faster decision-
making skills. The second advantage is increased motivation.
In this democratic leadership style, one must incorporate the
team’s input in order to make decisions. The employee and
supervisor communication will increase motivation in the team.
This will allow each member of the team to bring their expertise
to the table.
A disadvantage of the matrix system is internal
complexity. The reason this is demonstrated is because
employees will quickly become confused on whom there direct
supervisor really is. Employees sometimes will receive
information from different supervisors and struggle to
determine which one to do. Problems associated with this are
miscommunication and ineffective leadership. The second
disadvantage is the expensiveness to maintain the department.
The double management is costly for a team. Extra salaries are
also incorporated in that expensiveness as a strain on resources.
Employees also are being shared and sometimes cause internal
conflicts. This makes for an unhealthy competition between
employees. Bringing valuable information to the table becomes
a part of the expertise but the competition sometimes causes
hostility in the workplace that hinders the productivity of the
team.
Conclusion
The matrix structure of a police department explains the
organizational design. The requirement for this functional type
of system depends on the amount of resources and people
involved. Advantages and disadvantages apply to this type of
system but if monitored and controlled then this system works
effectively in maintaining an efficient program.
Communication is essential for this matrix design to work. The
passing and sharing of information, personal and supervisors
makes for a well diverse police organization. The complexity is
that the police department is very big and sometimes causes

6. discrepancies in the personnel by the sharing of personnel. An
overall assessment of this type of organizational design is that it
is effective but precise to detail in the operations in which it
runs.
References
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7. Project A (2012). City of Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs
Police Department. Police. Retrieved on July 18, 2014 from
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Swanson, C. R., Territo, L., and Taylor, R. W. (2012). Police
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