NATURE OF

POLICE
ORGANIZATION
 DEFINITION OF TERMS:
POLICE – a branch of the criminal justice
system that has the specific responsibility of
maintaining law and order and combating crime
within the society
ORGANIZATION- a form of human
association for the attainment of goal or
objective
 POLICE
ORGANIZATION
-A group of trained personnel in the
field of public safety administration engaged in
the achievement of goals and objectives that
promotes the maintenance of peace and order
, protection of life and property, enforcement
of the laws and the prevention of crimes
ORGANIZATIONAL UNITS

1.FUNCTIONAL UNITS
2. TERRITORIAL UNITS
FUNCTIONAL UNITS
1. BUREAU- the largest functional unit
within a large department
- comprises of several divisions

2. DIVISION - a primary
subdivision of a bureau
3. SECTION – a functional unit
within a division that is necessary for
specialization

4. UNIT – a functional group

within a section; or the smallest
functional group within an
organization
 TERRITORIAL UNITS
1. POST - a fixed point or location to
which an officer is assigned for duty, such as a
designated desk or office or an intersection or
cross walk from traffic duty.
- It is a spot location for general guard duty.
2. ROUTE -a length of streets
designated for patrol purposes. It is also
called LINE BEAT.

3. BEAT - an area assigned for

patrol purposes, whether foot or
motorized.
4. SECTOR - an area containing
two or more beats, routes, or post.
5. DISTRICT - a geographical
subdivision of a city for patrol purposes,
usually with its own station.

6. AREA- a section or territorial

division of a large city each comprised of
designated districts.
 KINDS OF
ORGANIZATIONAL
STRUCTURES
1.LINE
2. FUNCTIONAL
3. LINE AND STAFF
 LINE
• the oldest and simplest kind; also called military
• defined by its clear chain of command from the
highest to the lowest and vice versa
• depicts the line functions of the organization
• orders or commands must come from the higher
level of authority before it can be carried out
• involves few departments
 FUNCTIONAL
• structure according to functions and
specialized units
• depicts staff functions of the organization
• responsibilities are divided among
authorities who are all accountable to the
authority above
LINE AND STAFF
• a combination of the line and functional
kind
• combines the flow of information from the
line structure with the staff departments
that service, advise, and support them
• generally more formal in nature and has
many departments
 FUNCTIONS IN A POLICE
ORGANIZATION

1. PRIMARY OR LINE FUNCTIONS

2. STAFF/ADMINISTRATIVE
FUNCTIONS
3. AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS
 PRIMARY OR LINE
FUNCTIONS
 - functions that carry out the major purposes of
the organization, delivering the services and
dealing directly with the public
 - the backbone of the police department
 - examples of the line functions of the police
are patrolling, traffic duties, crime investigation
 STAFF/
ADMINISTRATIVE
FUNCTIONS
- functions that are designed to support
the line functions and assist in the
performance of the line functions
examples of the staff functions of the
police are planning, research, budgeting
and legal advice
AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS
functions involving the logistical
operations of the organization
examples are training, communication,
maintenance, records management,
supplies and equipment management
 ORGANIC UNITS IN A
POLICE ORGANIZATION
1.OPERATIONAL UNITS
2.ADMINISTRATIVE
UNITS
3.SERVICE UNITS
OPERATIONAL UNITS
those that perform primary or
line functions
examples are patrol, traffic,
investigation and vice control
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

 those that perform the administrative

functions
examples are personnel, finance,
planning and training
 SERVICE UNITS
those that perform auxiliary
functions
 examples are communication,
records management, supplies
ELEMENTS OF POLICE
ORGANIZATION
1. UNITY OF COMMAND
2. SPAN OF CONTROL
3. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY
4. HIERARCHY OF AUTHORITY
5. SPECIALIZATION
6. CHAIN OF COMMAND
7. COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY
UNITY OF COMMAND
dictates that there should only be
ONE MAN commanding the unit
to ensure uniformity in the
execution of orders
SPAN OF CONTROL
the maximum number of
subordinates that a superior can
effectively supervise
 FACTORS AFFECTING THE
SPAN OF CONTROL
a) Leadership qualities of the supervisors
b) Nature of the job and work conditions
c) Complexity of task
d) Education and skill of the employees
 DELEGATION OF
AUTHORITY
conferring of an amount of
authority by a superior position to
a lower-level position
 HIERARCHY OF
AUTHORITY
 the relationship between superiors and
subordinates
 serves as the framework for the flow of authority
downward and obedience upward through the
department
HIERARCHY - represents the formal relationship among
superiors and subordinates in any given organization
 SPECIALIZATION
 the assignment of particular
personnel to particular tasks

 SPECIALIZATION OF JOBS
 SPECIALIZATION OF PEOPLE
SPECIALIZATION OF JOBS
(AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION)

 the designation of certain activities or tasks

as ones that must be performed in a highly
technological, scientific or precise manner
 areas of police specialization include
undercover works, crime scene operations,
legal advising, computer work, SWAT
operations and others
SPECIALIZATION OF PEOPLE
(SPECIALISTS)

the designation of particular persons as

having expertise in a specific area of
work
signifies the adaptation of an individual
to the requirements through extensive
training
CHAIN OF COMMAND
the arrangement of officers from top
to bottom on the basis of rank or
position and authority
 COMMAND
RESPONSIBILITY
 dictates that immediate commanders
shall be responsible for the effective
supervision and control of their
personnel and unit