Overview

Criminal justice professionals are asked to serve the public with professionalism and fairness. Regardless of crimes committed by a suspect, the suspect must be treated respectfully and ethically. Leaders are expected to be able to take command of tragedies and major incidents. Administrators must walk a fine line to keep the public informed and their subordinates safe. It takes a true leader to be able to gain the trust of the community and the criminal justice professionals that serve under that particular leader. In order to achieve the qualities of a true leader, one must be able to approach problem situations effectively and address problems ethically and appropriately for all parties involved.

The final project in this course will expose you to a problem situation and task you with how it should be solved. You will imagine you are employed at a criminal justice organization facing a communal problem. Your superior at the organization has asked you to review the problem situation and offer your recommendations. You will be given the chance to evaluate the situation and develop suggestions that will inform development of strategies to address the issue using appropriate ethical and transparent leadership and communication skills. It is important to be able to recognize what leadership style you may be using and if that style will be effective in dealing with an issue at hand. This project will give you the experience and tools necessary to address problem situations and effectively lead both your subordinates and the parties involved while also coordinating with your superiors.