As you studied during your online academic career at AIU and as you have realized in everyday life, there are both large and small local departments serving the U.S. public throughout the nation. Now that you are the training officer for the county sheriff’s department in your county, you are responsible for all the training within the department. The sheriff wants you to give a class on the local police systems to some citizens who are not that educated in criminal justice. Some of the areas that the sheriff wants you to cover are related to the manner in which these departments serve their community because that has a lot to do with the size of the local population, area of responsibility, and amount of officers that have the responsibility to serve that community. Now, to accomplish the sheriff’s request, you will need to discuss a municipal (city) police department, your sheriff’s department, and the state police agency within your state where you live.

You need to compare the following:

• Their structures
• Their duties
• Their differences

In addition, discuss the following areas:

• Discuss the city or county for the department that you have selected (population, demographics, economics, known industries).
• Discuss the police department (size, demographics of officers, technology available).
• Define the different types of services or functions that the department provides for its community.
• Explain if you believe the law enforcement organization is adequate for the area which it serves.