Educating the Public about Organized Crime




Assignment 1: Educating the Public about Organized Crime
Citizens often have little, if any, knowledge about domestic organized crime and the operations of such organizations. Much of what the public knows comes from the media. Many people are unaware that domestic organized crime groups are those that operate within the boundaries of the United States and often comprise US and foreign citizens. Police officials are in key positions to help educate the public about the business of domestic organized crime. Community forums are excellent venues for educating the public about how organized crime groups function. This includes identifying what the groups do to generate profits.
Basic public awareness about how organized crime groups operate is critical to maintaining safe communities. Police administrators have the responsibility of informing citizens about what to look for to identify and report suspected domestic organized criminal activities.
The following scenario is designed to help the public gain a basic understanding of how to identify domestic organized crime groups.
Community policing efforts are critical in creating a safe environment for citizens. You are a mid-level police supervisor. As part of a team-oriented community policing approach, you have been selected by your police chief to hold a community forum where you will be responsible for educating the public about domestic organized crime groups so that the public will know how to identify such groups in the community.
To complete this assignment, use your textbook and the Argosy University online library resources to identify specific community policing efforts. Find at least one effective community policing effort you can describe at the community forum.
Submission Details:
By
Saturday, March 29, 2014, in a minimum of 250 words, post to the
Discussion Area your responses to the following:
  • Identify at least three key areas that you see as being important in creating public awareness of organized crime groups.
  • Provide a rationale for selecting the three key areas that you will share with the public.
  • Describe at least one effective community policing effort against organized crime you found in your research.
Assignment 2: Applying Theory to Prevent the Spread of Organized Crime
LASA 1
Your first LASA is a means for you to demonstrate your knowledge of applicable theories in explaining organized criminal behavior. You will use your knowledge pertaining to the history of organized crime to develop a practical approach to stop the spread of organized crime groups. You will identify and classify the different groups to determine which groups present the greatest threat to public safety. You will select a theory and apply it to explain the existence of organized crime groups.
This LASA is designed for you to demonstrate your knowledge of the organized criminal behavior theory. By assessing the threat to public safety, you will use your knowledge of this history of organized crime as the foundation to develop a practical approach towards reducing the growth of four organized crime groups in Centervale. Selecting a theory that attempts to explain organized criminal behavior will provide a scaffolding for your presentation.
Here’s What You Need to Do . . .

Part 1
You will assume the role of an organized crime investigator. You have been working as an investigator for eighteen years and have a thorough knowledge of various theories that explain criminal offending. There are ongoing problems with organized crime, and you have been given the responsibility by your supervisor of interacting to stop the spread of organized crime within your area. You are to list the names of at least four organized crime groups that operate within the United States of America. Based on your knowledge and research of various theories, select one or more theories that might help to explain why such groups are operating within your area. Compare and contrast the different groups and analyze the threat potential to public safety. After your analysis, you will make a presentation to a group of local, state, and federal law enforcement representatives that provides an overview of your findings about the different groups. You are to include suggestions for stopping the spread of the groups with justification for the suggestions that you offer.
Part 2
You will assume the role of an Organized Crime Investigator. You have worked as an investigator for eighteen years and have a thorough working knowledge of various theories that attempt to explain criminal behavior (no theory explains anything entirely; all theories can be tested, refuted, etc.). Because organized criminal enterprise consistently threatens public safety, your supervisor has tasked you with the responsibility of researching and analyzing four organized crime groups in order to create an Organized Criminal Enterprise Reduction Plan for Centervale. The goal is to create a presentation that includes an overall analysis of four organized crime groups, a comparison of the variables of each group, and a potential plan towards the reduction of the threat to public safety.
Instructions:
  1. Analyze the history of organized crime.
  2. Research and select at least one theory that attempts to explain the criminal actions of organized crime groups selected by you. Choose at least one theory that attempts to explain organized criminal behavior.
  3. Compare and contrast at least four organized crime groups that operate within the United States and analyze their threat potential to public safety.
  4. Prepare a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes for a group of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers that includes an overall analysis of four organized crime groups, a comparison of the variables of each group, and a potential plan towards the reduction of the threat to public safety.
  5. Include a cover slide and at least one slide at the end of your presentation to reference your sources formatted in APA style that links back to your in-text citations and supports your recommendations. Remember, you cannot have only in-text citations or only references, you must have both because in-text citations and references are adjoined; they link to each other.