Case Study 1

Southwestern University
With the rising demands of a successful football program, the campus police chief at
Southwestern University, John Swearingen, wants to develop a 2 – year plan that involves a request
for additional resources.
The SWU department currently has 26 sworn offices. The size of the force has now
changed over the past 15 years but the following changes have prompted the chief to seek more
resources:
 The size of the athletic program, especially football, has increased.
 The college has expanded geographically, with some new miles away from the
main campus.
 Traffic and parking problems have increased.
 More portable, expensive computers with high theft potential are dispersed across
the campus.
 Alcohol and drug problems have increased.
 The size of the surrounding community has doubled.
 The police need to spend more time on education and prevention programs.
The college is located in Stephenville, Texas, a small town about 30 miles southwest of the
Dallas/Forth Worth metroplex. During the summer months, the student population is around 5,000.
This number swells to 20,000 during fall and spring semesters. Thus demand for police and other
services is significantly lower during the summer months. Demand for police services also varies
by:
 Weekend of the year (on football weekends, 50,000 extra people come to campus)
 Special events (check-in, check out, commencement)
Football weekends are especially difficult to staff. Extra police services are typically
needed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on five football Saturdays. All 26 officers are called in to work double
shifts. Over 40 law enforcement officers from surrounding locations are paid to come in on their
own time, and a dozen state police lend a hand free of charge (when available). Twenty-five
students and local residents are paid to work traffic and parking. During the last academic year (a
9-month period), over $120,000.
Other relevant data include the following:
 The average starting salary for a police officer is $28,000.
 Work-study and part-time students and local residents who help with traffic and
parking are paid $9.00 an hour.
 Overtime is paid to police officers who work over 40 hours a week at the rate of
$18.00 an hour. Extra officers who are hired part time from outside agencies also
earn $18.00 an hour.
 There seems to be unlimited supply of officers who will work for the college when
needed for special events.
 With days off, vacations and average sick leave considered, it takes five persons to
cover one 24-hour, 7-day-a-week position.
The schedule of officers during fall and spring semester is:
Weekdays Weekends
First shift (7a.m. – 3 p.m.) 5 4
Second shift (3p.m. – 11 p.m.) 5 6
Third shift ( 11 p.m. – 7 a.m.) 6 8
Staffing for football weekends and special events is in addition to the preceding schedule.
Summer staffing is, on average, half that shown.
Swearingen thinks that his present staff is stretched to the limit. Fatigued officers are
potential problems for the department and the community. In addition, neither time nor personnel
has been set aside for crime prevention, safety or health programs. Interactions of police officers
with students, faculty, and staff are minimal and usually negative in nature. In light of these
problems, the chief would like to request to request funding for four additional officers, two
assigned to new programs and two to alleviate the overload on his current staff. He would also like
to begin limiting overtime to 10 hours per week for each officer.
Discussion Questions:
1. Which variations in demand for police services should be considered in aggregate plan for
resources? Which variations can be accomplished with short term scheduling adjustments?
2. Evaluate the current staffing plan. What does it cost? Are 26 officers sufficient to handle
the normal workload?
3. What would be the additional cost of the chief’s proposal? How would you suggest that he
justify his request?
4. How much does it currently cost the college to provide police services for football games?
What would be the pros and cons of completely subcontracting this work to outside law
enforcement agencies?
5. Propose other alternatives.
Source: Adapted from C. Haksever, B. Render, and R. Rusell, Service Management and Operations, 2nd ed. (Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000), 308 -9. Reprinted by permission of Prentice Hall, Inc.

Case Study 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Study 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Study 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Southwestern University

You might also like