National Association of Counties and National League of Cities

Prior to beginning work on your discussion post, read Chapter 10 in Martin (2015) and Chapter 9 in Steiner (2015), and access and review the required resources (the following webpages: Law Enforcement (LINK: https://www.dhs.gov/law-enforcement) and The Office of State and Local Law Enforcement (LINK: https://www.dhs.gov/office-state-and-local-law-enforcement), and the following websites: National Association of Counties (LINK: http://www.naco.org/) and National League of Cities (LINK: http://www.nlc.org/). Carefully consider the material on preparedness and planning set forth in Chapter 10 of the Martin (2015) text. In addition, please review the material on the National Association of Counties and the National Association of Cities set forth in Chapter 6 of the Martin (2015) text which was previously assigned for Week Two.

For your initial post, compare and contrast the most effective response methods of the National Association of Counties with the National Association of Cities, within the context of homeland security objectives, and in particular, within the context of preparedness and planning. Your analysis should include supporting examples. In addition, take a position on whether or not the two associations should be merged into a single association. In other words, do you support fewer autonomous associations, or do you think there is an advantage to maintaining distinct organizations? Defend your position. Identify at least one advantage and one drawback associated with a merger of the two associations. Finally, examine the skills needed by each association to identify, evaluate, and resolve complex policy issues within the context of homeland security.

You must incorporate at least two citations within your initial post. As a reminder, your citations must be in APA format as outlined by the UAGC Writing Center. No quotations are permitted. Your posts should incorporate analytical and evidence-based statements and reflect a synthesis of the assigned readings. Your initial post should be a minimum of 400 words.

Guided Response: Please read the initial posts of other students. Respond to a minimum of three different student posts by 11:59 p.m. on Day 7 of the week. To enhance discussion quality, please post your responses earlier in the week.
Your response posts should address your peers position on whether or not to merge the two associations. Irrespective of whether you agree with your peers position, provide a constructive challenge by taking an opposing view (even if you personally agree with their position). Illustrate your counter argument with specific examples. In addition, extend your peers discussion of the distinctions between the two associations. Identify at least one additional distinction or similarity between the two associations that you did not identity in your original post, or in any other response posts. Response posts should contain no fewer than 200 words and a minimum of two properly cited references in APA format as outlined by the UAGC Writing Center from the assigned weekly reading materials.

Please continue to monitor the discussion forum until 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Day 7. In addition, respond to anyone who replies to your initial post, and ensure that your responses engage follow-up questions.