{"id":36867,"date":"2017-08-01T00:01:46","date_gmt":"2017-08-01T04:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/?p=36867"},"modified":"2024-10-10T13:00:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T17:00:59","slug":"unequipped-underfunded-understaffed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/","title":{"rendered":"Unequipped, Underfunded, Understaffed: Investing in Your Officers to Manage Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"_idContainer451\" class=\"Object-Style-1 _idGenObjectStyleOverride-4\">\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-Drop-Cap-2014\"><span class=\"_idGenDropcap-2\">L<\/span>aw enforcement agencies are faced with tough decisions every day to ensure their communities are protected. An agency\u2019s ability to fulfill this responsibility comes down to three vital components: education and training, finances, and staffing. Each of these three elements can, if managed appropriately, reduce risk for an agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">In law enforcement, the stigma associated with risk management is likely tied to the most common liability claims, such as vehicle crashes, use of excessive force, false arrest, inappropriate off-duty conduct, property and evidence management, and unlawful search and seizure. These are re-occurring liabilities that most agencies will encounter. Given the complexity of risk management issues, why don\u2019t agencies invest more in these common areas? In today\u2019s atmosphere, agencies are (rightfully) willing to invest in rebuilding community trust, but some agencies fail to recognize the importance of simultaneously investing in their officers, only to have to scramble to do so after an incident reveals a hidden weakness or gap. What if the liabilities associated with risk management can be minimized with simple investments in agency personnel? What if these investments resulted in reduced complaints and fewer safety issues?<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"ARTICLE-SUBHEAD-2014\"><span class=\"CharOverride-96\" style=\"color: #336699;\">The Unequipped<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">One of the most obvious ways to invest in officers is to ensure they are fully equipped, which includes both physical tools and intangible equipment, such as education and training. The concept of improving policing with education is not new; in the United States, the idea originated with August Vollmer, who served as the first chief of police in Berkeley, California, 1909\u20131931. Vollmer was the first U.S. police chief to open the door to community policing by placing officers on bicycles. In addition, he created a police record system, utilized radio communications, and started the world\u2019s first police school\u2014and he required his officers to obtain a higher education.<sup>1<\/sup> According to <em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">Time<\/span><\/em> magazine, this legacy survived his tenure for quite some time: \u201cVollmer\u2019s emphasis on an educated policeman has been carried forward and expanded under each of the three men who have succeeded him.\u201d<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">As each decade passes, officers with college degrees become more common in the ranks, with some law enforcement agencies requiring a degree. For example, some agencies like the Gaston County, North Carolina, Police Department seek only candidates who hold a bachelor\u2019s degree from an accredited college or university.<sup>3<\/sup> Although many agencies cannot afford to raise the pay grade for entry-level officers, some agencies are finding that an educational pay incentive is necessary to attract candidates who have a post-secondary education. The Fayetteville Police Department in North Carolina offers candidates with an associate\u2019s degree an additional $1,250 a year, which goes up to $2,500 a year for a bachelor\u2019s degree. Is recruiting officers with higher education worth the investment of time and money? A study conducted by Dr. William Terrill from Michigan State University suggests that college-educated officers are less likely to use force in encounters with civilians\u2014this correlation could be attributed to the officers\u2019 communication or problem-solving skills, two skill sets often honed in post-secondary courses.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">As mentioned, though, education is not the only equipment officers need to fulfill their duties in serving the community. In addition to traditional police equipment, such as radios, firearms, and uniforms, officers increasingly are being equipped with technology, such as mobile devices, GPS, and body-worn cameras (BWCs).<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">In 2014, BWCs became the topic of conversation within many communities, particularly in the United States, following a number of highly publicized officer-involved shootings. However, BWCs entered the market before 2014\u2014the Fayetteville Police Department started testing BWCs as early as 2012. The agency had 5\u201310 functioning BWCs at the time, and like many advancements, it took growing concerns from the public and elected officials to accelerate the blueprint for the agency to move forward, and a $530,000 grant made things progress quickly. Solving the age-old challenge of knowing exactly what happened during use-of-force incidents or other police-public interactions that open the door to lawsuits and other liabilities has long been a concern for police leaders. After the Ferguson, Missouri, turmoil, requiring officers to wear BWCs seemed like the answer to every concern voiced by citizens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">Many leaders within the law enforcement domain seem to be elated by the possibility that BWCs could reduce the number of lawsuits, reduce the incidence of use of force, and even reduce citizen complaints. Since the initial deployment of BWCs, the Fayetteville Police Department saw a 50 percent reduction in citizen complaints. The Bureau of Justice Assistance provided only 179 agencies with grant funds to deploy the field-altering equipment, and the bureau has spent more than $20 million buying BWCs for local and state police departments.<sup>5<\/sup> Many say that the costs overshadows the reduced liability benefit the body worn cameras have to offer. For an agency of about 350 sworn officers, the cost per officer to have a BWC is about $3,030, which doesn\u2019t include the additional cost for personnel to manage the video footage. Body cameras represent a significant investment. <em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">The Huffington Post<\/span>\u2019s<\/em> Nick Wing noted in an article that over a period of four years, a law enforcement agency spends $1.4 million in lawsuits for police misconduct.<sup>6<\/sup> Is it worth the risk? Is it worth the investment?<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"ARTICLE-SUBHEAD-2014\"><span class=\"CharOverride-97\" style=\"color: #336699;\">The Underfunded <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">Basic law enforcement training, commonly known as BLET, is a program that is designed to teach the foundational principles of policing. As community needs develop and change, law enforcement must be equipped to meet those needs as well. Shrinking budgets are impacting law enforcement agencies across the United States. Budgetary cuts are forcing agency heads to find ways to eliminate spending. Unfortunately, this can result in cuts to law enforcement training and programs. Reducing the training budget might save funds during the fiscal year, but the long-term costs and risks can be much greater. Some local community colleges and neighboring agencies provide free training opportunities to law enforcement, but, in some instances, the training provided is offered at only a basic level, leaving out a large number of personnel who need advanced and specialized training to maintain their certifications and remain current on policing trends within their field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">The bottom line is that agencies have to assess their training needs and come up with creative solutions to meet those needs. The first step is to identify large line items in their training budget and make modifications to reduce expenses. Agency heads should also consider, which conferences would be most beneficial to their agency for that fiscal year. To further reduce costs, agencies might think about alternating yearly which conferences to attend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">Another alternative is to participate in train-the-trainer programs for specialized content areas, such as racial intelligence and fair and impartial policing. Paying for three or four employees to attend train-the-trainer programs saves money\u2014because trained employees bring the training content back to their agencies and are able to train other members of their agency. Once certified, participants will be able to teach sworn and non-sworn personnel the components of the course.<sup>7<\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">Technology is another way agencies can reduce training expenses. Since 2012, the Pennsylvania Virtual Training Network (PVTN) has provided officers access to mandatory training and elective trainings.<sup>8<\/sup> The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association (PCPA) upgraded its PVTN to a different system, which will allow officers to complete in-service training, elective trainings, view training records, and additional administrative duties that relate to training. Several learning management systems (LMS) have been utilized across the United States to manage training courses and records and to identify specific training needs for government and private sector employers. The PCPA chose its system because the system was able to minimize training costs by reducing overtime paid to travel to training sites, lodging costs, and per diem expenses.<sup>9<\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">The better training police have, the lower the risk that officers and their agencies will be exposed to civil or criminal liability. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted the Fair and Impartial Policing training for St. Louis County, Missouri, law enforcement. The training session was led by Dr. Lorie Fridell, a national expert on racially biased policing. The DOJ saw this as an effort to build trust and strengthen the relationship among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. A year later, former Chief Harold Medlock (retired) brought the same curriculum to the Fayetteville Police Department. The training was a significant investment in each employee (sworn and non-sworn). Medlock required all employees to take the training. As a large portion of civilian employees are in close contact with citizens each day, the chief saw the value of having all members of the agency trained. The following year, the Fayetteville Police Department saw a 50 percent decrease in citizen complaints.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">The case of <em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">Ohio v. Harris<\/span><\/em> (1989) the U.S. Supreme Court stated that law enforcement agencies who failed to provide training to officers place their departments at risk of being held liable for any damages.<sup>10<\/sup> Not only is training a requirement, but training records management also is essential. By providing officers with training, agencies ensure their officers have the needed skills to de-escalate dangerous situations and the ability to avoid unnecessary violent confrontations, decreasing the risk of liability.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"ARTICLE-SUBHEAD-2014\"><span class=\"CharOverride-97\" style=\"color: #336699;\">The Understaffed <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">In the 1980s and 1990s, a career in law enforcement grew to its highest popularity, and agencies\u2019 budgets increased. Today, agencies are facing a recruitment and retention issue. Many people are hesitant to join the ranks of law enforcement because of the officer-involved shootings that have happened throughout the United States, forcing agencies to rebuild and rebrand the law enforcement profession. Police staffing models in the United States are generally determined by one of these common methods: crime trends, a per-capita approach, the minimum-manning levels authorized or budgeted levels, and a workload-based model.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">The magnitude and style of any law enforcement agency and the type of jurisdiction that it serves are a reflection of the character and demands of that community. The challenge agencies face is to determine the correct allocation and deployment of officers to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Once the personnel are allocated, the next step can further focus on how officers are deployed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">The partnership among sworn officers, non-sworn employees, and volunteers can make an agency more efficient.<sup>11<\/sup> A study by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) found that 85 percent of organizations were forced to reduce their spending in 2011 and 98 percent said their budgets would at least be somewhat of a problem in the coming years.<sup>12<\/sup> The study results show that staff cutbacks of between 12,000 and 15,000 sworn officers occurred in one year due to financial constraints, which also critically impacted training and travel.<sup>13<\/sup> According to the Budget Control Act of 2011, discretionary public safety spending will nominally increase through 2021, but these increases are expected to fall short of inflation and previous rates of increase, meaning law enforcement agencies will continue to have less, while asked to do more.<sup>14<\/sup><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"ARTICLE-SUBHEAD-2014\"><span class=\"CharOverride-97\" style=\"color: #336699;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">A forward-thinking agency should have a crime fighting strategy that incorporates transparent policies, reality-based training, frequent workload analyses, procedures that promote higher education, and resources that employ innovative technologies and practices. Risk management practices should consider the long-term benefits of making minor budgetary and program adjustments. Some may doubt their agency\u2019s ability to implement some of the suggested strategies\u2014but can an agency afford not to try?<span style=\"color: #336699;\">&#x2666;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014 ParaOverride-9\"><strong><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-BOLD\">Notes:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>1<\/sup>Frances Dinkelspiel, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.berkeleyside.com\/2010\/01\/27\/remembering-august-vollmer-the-berkeley-police-chief-who-created-modern-policing\">Remembering August Vollmer, the Berkeley Police Chief Who Created Modern Policing,<\/a>\u201d Berkeleyside, January 5, 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>2<\/sup>\u201cEducation: Parents &amp; Pedagogs,\u201d <em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">Time<\/span><\/em> 15, no. 19 (May 12, 1930); Andrew Hawkes, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.policelink.monster.com\/training\/articles\/143993-the-history-and-importance-of-police-training\">The History and Importance of Police Training,<\/a>\u201d <em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">PoliceLink<\/span><\/em>, June 14, 2011.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>3<\/sup>Gaston County, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gastongov.com\/685\/Police-Officer\">Police Officer Requirements.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>4<\/sup>Melinda Burns, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/psmag.com\/education\/cops-and-college-do-police-need-book-smarts-21852\/\">Cops and College: Do Police Need Book Smarts?<\/a>\u201d <em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">Pacific Standard<\/span><\/em>, September 2, 2010.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>5<\/sup>U.S. Department of Justice, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/department-justice-awards-over-20-million-law-enforcement-body-worn-camera-programs\">Department of Justice Awards Over $20 Million to Law Enforcement Body-Worn Camera Programs<\/a>,\u201d press release, September 26, 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>6<\/sup>Nick Wing, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2015\/05\/29\/police-misconduct-settlements_n_7423386.html\">We Pay a Shocking Amount for Police Misconduct, <\/a><br \/>\nand Cops Want Us Just to Accept It. We Shouldn\u2019t,\u201d <em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">The Huffington Post<\/span><\/em>, May 29, 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>7<\/sup>JPL Learning Solutions, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpllearning.com\/news\/jpl-partners-pa-chiefs-police-upgrade-pavtn-net\">JPL Works with PA Police Chiefs of Police to Upgrade PAVTN.Net,<\/a>\u201d press release, February 24, 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>8<\/sup>Ibid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>9<\/sup>Ibid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>10<\/sup><a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/489\/378\/case.html\"><em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">Ohio v. Harris<\/span><\/em>, 489 U.S. 378<\/a> (1989).<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>11<\/sup>International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/VIPS\">VIPS\u2014Volunteers in Police Service.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>12<\/sup>IACP, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/regular-traffic-enforcement-can-play-a-crucial-role-in-defining-commercial-vehicle-safety\/\"><em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">Policing in the 21st Century Preliminary Survey Results<\/span><\/em><\/a>, April 2011, 4.\u00a0The 98 percent is derived from the following categories: somewhat of a problem (20.83%), a problem (35.42%), a serious problem (33.33%), and a severe problem (8.33%).<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>13<\/sup>Envisage Technologies, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.acadis.com\/resource\/civilianization-may-improve-police-effectiveness-in-face-of-budget-crisis\/\">Civilianization May Improve Police Effectiveness in Face of Budget Crisis<\/a>,\u201d news release, March 29, 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><sup>14<\/sup>Budget Control Act of 2011, Pub. L. No. 112\u201325, 112th Cong. (2011).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Please cite as<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Tammy Pippen and Kenise Sumler, \u201cUnequipped, Underfunded, Understaffed: Investing in Your Officers to Manage Risk,\u201d <em>The Police Chief<\/em> (August 2017): 48\u201350.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div id=\"_idContainer451\" class=\"Object-Style-1 _idGenObjectStyleOverride-4\">\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-Drop-Cap-2014\"><span class=\"_idGenDropcap-2\">L<\/span>aw enforcement agencies are faced with tough decisions every day to ensure their communities are protected. An agency\u2019s ability to fulfill this responsibility comes down to three vital components: education and training, finances, and staffing. Each of these three elements can, if managed appropriately, reduce risk for an agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-TEXT-2014\">In law enforcement, the stigma associated with risk management is likely tied to the most common liability claims, such as vehicle crashes, use of excessive force, false arrest, inappropriate off-duty conduct, property and evidence management, and unlawful search and seizure. These are re-occurring liabilities that most agencies will encounter. Given the complexity of risk management issues, why don\u2019t agencies invest more in these common areas? In today\u2019s atmosphere, agencies are (rightfully) willing to invest in rebuilding community trust, but some agencies fail to recognize the importance of simultaneously investing in their officers, only to have to scramble to do so after an incident reveals a hidden weakness or gap. What if the liabilities associated with risk management can be minimized with simple investments in agency personnel? What if these investments resulted in reduced complaints and fewer safety issues?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":36868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[132,137,144],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-training","category-leadership","category-recruitment-personnel"],"acf":{"post_author":"Tammy Pippen, MPA, Accreditation &amp; Grant Manager, Kenise Sumler, MA, Police Training Coordinator, Fayetteville, North Carolina, Police Department","main_category":"Education & Training","legacy_article_id":"","legacy_issue_id":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v24.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Unequipped, Underfunded, Understaffed: Investing in Your Officers to Manage Risk - Police Chief Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unequipped, Underfunded, Understaffed: Investing in Your Officers to Manage Risk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Law enforcement agencies are faced with tough decisions every day to ensure their communities are protected. An agency\u2019s ability to fulfill this responsibility comes down to three vital components: education and training, finances, and staffing. Each of these three elements can, if managed appropriately, reduce risk for an agency. In law enforcement, the stigma associated with risk management is likely tied to the most common liability claims, such as vehicle crashes, use of excessive force, false arrest, inappropriate off-duty conduct, property and evidence management, and unlawful search and seizure. These are re-occurring liabilities that most agencies will encounter. Given the complexity of risk management issues, why don\u2019t agencies invest more in these common areas? In today\u2019s atmosphere, agencies are (rightfully) willing to invest in rebuilding community trust, but some agencies fail to recognize the importance of simultaneously investing in their officers, only to have to scramble to do so after an incident reveals a hidden weakness or gap. What if the liabilities associated with risk management can be minimized with simple investments in agency personnel? What if these investments resulted in reduced complaints and fewer safety issues?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Police Chief Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-01T04:01:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-10T17:00:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_22689376-681x1024.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"681\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dani Gudakunst\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dani Gudakunst\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dani Gudakunst\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/#\/schema\/person\/84ca7fd7f208094a13c5c94b803849b5\"},\"headline\":\"Unequipped, Underfunded, Understaffed: Investing in Your Officers to Manage Risk\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-01T04:01:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-10T17:00:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/\"},\"wordCount\":2093,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_22689376.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Education &amp; Training\",\"Leadership\",\"Recruitment &amp; Personnel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/unequipped-underfunded-understaffed\/\",\"name\":\"Unequipped, Underfunded, Understaffed: Investing in Your Officers to Manage Risk - 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