Comparing Websites of Law Enforcement Agencies for Technology

School: Southern New Hampshire University - Course: CJ 305 - Subject: Accounting

Garrison, Amanda CJ-305-R4940 3-1 Module Three Practice Activity: Technology and Community Relations 1 3-1 Module Three Practice Activity: Technology and Community Relations Garrison, Amanda SNHU, Professor James P. Ryan, CJ-305-R4940 03/19/2023

Garrison, AmandaCJ-305-R4940 3-1 Module Three Practice Activity: Technology and Community Relations 2 3-1 Module Three Practice Activity: Technology and Community Relations I opted to examine and compare the websites of two of the agencies I dispatch for, The Yolo County Sheriff's Office and the Woodland Police Department. The Yolo County Sheriff's Office website can be found at https://www.yolocountysheriff.com/. Their menu bar includes sections titled "About", "Services", "Forms and Fees", "Outreach", "Join", "I Want To...", and "Contact Us". Across the top of the page are links for the "Yolo Tip Line", the agencies social media pages, and the "Yolo Alert" page. The areas of the website that assist in promoting transparency are under the "About", "Outreach", and "Services" tabs. In the "About" section you are able to navigate to a section called "Policy and Procedures" where you are able to review the policy manual for the department. Under the "Outreach" section you are able to navigate to a page that contains the departments most wanted, an information page on NIXLE- which is a tool used to disseminate information, a page with information on internal affairs, and a page that contains annual crime statistics. Under the "Services" tab, you are able to locate booking statistics under the menu item "Detention Services" and you can view FAQ pages for various divisions of the department. As far as building community relationships, the options to submit anonymous tips and links to the social media pages are helpful. The website was incredibly easy to locate, it was the first option that came up when I searched "Yolo County Sheriff". I found the website easy to navigate and it is neatly organized under the handful of headings. I think the website does a thorough job of communicating about who the department is, however, I think it is lacking on the transparency front. The primary issue I found is that they do not have a crime mapping option available on their website, which in turn prevents them from having current crime data or trends displayed for the public. The department

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Garrison, AmandaCJ-305-R4940 3-1 Module Three Practice Activity: Technology and Community Relations 3 does a poor job of promoting in-person community building on their website. The are under utilizing their "News and Events" box on the home page, it only has one upcoming item listed that does not even have anything to do with community building. The department tends to share these opportunities on their social media pages; however, the same information should be mirrored on their website. The second department website is The Woodland Police Department, which can be found at https://www.cityofwoodland.org/394/Woodland-Police-Department. Their navigation bar includes sections for "Bureaus", "Chief's Corner", "Transparency Portal", "Civilian Programs", "Community", "Contact Us", "Crime", "Inside the Woodland Police Department", "Join the Team", "Homeless Outreach Efforts", and "Online Forms". The "Transparency Portal" does a fine job of providing information to the public, including "Department Policies and Training", "Annual Reports", "Community Safety Conversations", "Suas Drone Program", "WPD Strategic Plan", "Commend and Employee", and "Internal Affairs". Under the "Community" heading, the website provides a number of ways to promote community, including "National Night Out", "Meetings and Events", "Neighborhood Watch", a page to register your surveillance cameras, and other public support and outreach initiatives. The website was easy to locate and was also the first option that came up when I searched "Woodland Police"- which explains why I often receive calls from other "Woodlands" across the country. The page is very user friendly and clearly labeled to aid you in finding the information you are seeking. The website does an excellent job providing all relevant information on the department, including the various divisions, services, outreach programs, crime statistics, crime mapping, and their policies and procedures. The website does a great job of promoting in-person community building immediately on the homepage. They have a slideshow front and center that