You work for a law enforcement agency. In the last 10 years your agency has been involved in 6 critical incidents in which citizens have died. The officers have all been cleared internally and criminally of wrongdoing, however see the status of the civil lawsuits attached. Members of the community are not happy with those results and have been demanding that officers change how they operate. You have just been promoted to Capta

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You work for a law enforcement agency. In the last 10 years your agency has been involved in 6 critical incidents in which citizens have died. The officers have all been cleared internally and criminally of wrongdoing, however see the status of the civil lawsuits attached. Members of the community are not happy with those results and have been demanding that officers change how they operate. You have just been promoted to Captain and have responsibility over training, policy and internal affairs investigations. You have been tasked with explaining the following budget changes to the local community and politicians at an open forum.

Write a report in which you justify a 5-year plan of adding $2,100,000 per year to the Police Training and Equipment portion of the budget. The agency currently has a $1,000,000 annual training budget, so this expenditure will more than triple that portion. The agency spends $100,000,000 per year and has about 800 officers. There is no offset in the budget for the new training costs, and this is an additional budget cost (2.1% increase).

Included in this additional budget expense is:

1. Item 1 – An additional 8 hours in mental health training will be given to all officers annually (The community has requested 40 hours). Cost $100,000.
2. Item 2 – An additional 8 hours of force de-escalation training will be given to all officers annually. Cost $100,000.
3. Item 3 – 20% of your agency will receive 40 hours of mental health training every year for the next 5 years (to get everyone trained), and all new hires will receive the training. Cost $200,000.
4. Item 4 – You will engage in a public education project through social media and other low cost sources that encourages the public to comply with police, not flee, and reduce violence directed at police officers. $50,000 annually.
5. Item 5 – Currently your agency has 100 officers trained in using Electronic Control Devices (Tasers) and you will add equipment and training for 140 officers per year over the next 5 years. $500,000 per year.
6. Item 6 – Additional alternative weapon (also known as less lethal) systems will be employed,  These will be added at cost of $100,000 annually and include a bean bag gun and a tear gas delivery system.
7. Item 7 – Body cameras will be purchased for 20% of your agency per year. $1,000,000 per year.
8. Item 8 – Attempts will be made to recruit more diverse members of the community to be police officers. $50,000 annually.

I would expect that you will use internal arguments related to the costs and benefits to the taxpayers also may use some external information.