Students
Chapter 01: Supervision — The Management Task
Dan Weems is a police officer with a local police department in a small urban community. He has more than 12 years of experience and currently serves the community as a patrol officer. Officer Weems has recently received a promotion as a patrol sergeant within the department. Despite his work experience and positive influence among other officers, Sergeant Weems is concerned about his new role as a supervisor.
Like many other first-line supervisors, Sergeant Weems has never received any prior training with regard to management within law enforcement. As far as observational experience is concerned, Sergeant Weems has had a number of poor and ineffective supervisors. Thus, he has not had the opportunity to learn from a positive role model. In essence, you could say that he has learned what not to do as a supervisor.
Specifically, Sergeant Weems is concerned about the roles and expectations associated with this newfound position as a first-line supervisor. What roles should he rely upon, knowledge-bases skills or human skills? What is expected of him in the eyes of his superiors, his peers, and the subordinates?
Act as a liaison between top managers and subordinates; create a positive work environment; render testimony in disciplinary hearings. In a law enforcement organization, the first-line supervisor is the crucial managerial point where policy is transmitted into action.
Cooperation, coordination, joint problem resolution, positive work relationships, sharing of information and ideas. Supervision is a joint effort by numerous individuals and not the sole priority of any one first-line supervisor. Functions performed by one have a direct impact on every other supervisor in the department.
Accessibility, service as a role model, fair appraisal, identification and maximization of talents, help in the development of new skills, providing needed information in the completion of their assigned tasks. Subordinates have needs that, organizationally, must be met and satisfied.
Human skills, tactical skills, affective skills, conceptual skills, and knowledge-based skills (Hu-TACK). As a means of maximizing effectiveness, a supervisor must work to attain objectives through the efforts of others, preferably by becoming operationally effective in one or more of the following skill areas set in Hu-TACK.
Question 5: What would you advise Dan Weems to do if he begins to feel helpless in his new position?
Advise Weems to seek out counsel from other supervisors, a mentor, or other managers. Also, let him know that it will take time for him to learn how to cope with new challenges. A new supervisor should realize the importance of immediately acknowledging the importance of the ecology of the organization and the fact that the department is a dynamic social system.
Chapter 02: Community-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving — Improving Neighborhood Quality of Life
First-line supervisor Caleb Daniels has been working for Jefferson Police Department for the past 15 years. More recently, Jefferson Police Department has started a full-time community policing unit. The transition from an authoritarian management style to the new style of supervision that community-oriented policing requires has proven to be difficult for both Sergeant Daniels and for the line officers. More specifically, line officer Tom Jones frequently comes to Sergeant Daniels for orders. He does not make any decisions without the approval of Sergeant Daniels and fully depends on Daniels for everything. Officer Jones has told Sergeant Daniels that he does not know how to identify or fix problems in the community and therefore needs Sergeant Daniel's orders with regard to what he thinks is best. Although he is accustomed to the authoritarian management style, Sergeant Daniels is really excited about the new approach and management style of community policing adapted by the department and looks forward to eliminating the authoritarian management style. He is having trouble with Officer Jones and a few other officers being too dependent on him. What should he do?
Caleb Daniels can empower Tom Jones. Empowerment allows personnel to arrive at decisions based on delegated power and authority. Empowerment is the deliberate decision of police executives to create organizational change that allows officers to operate within a frame of reference of self-direction. With supervisory support and the backing of top management, there is an absolute necessity for empowering line officers so that initiative can be exercised when deciding when operating within the philosophy of community policing.
Instead of making decisions Sergeant Daniels needs to coach, support, mediate, and help officers in identifying, planning, analyzing, and solving community problems. He should function as a mentor, motivator, and facilitator for Officer Jones. Constant and close supervision and the restriction of discretion are no longer parameters of effective police supervision. The supervisor serves as a facilitator.
As a supervisor becomes more skillful in functioning as a process facilitator, he or she will see that considerable amount of time is spent in educating, informing, and assisting officers in understanding, prioritizing, and resolving issues. Sergeant Daniels must come to terms with the fact that there will be some people who will resist the change to community policing. Therefore, he must work hard at communicating, advising, responding, and supporting officers that are having difficulty adjusting to a new style of policing. Sergeant Daniels must also communicate openly and encourage officers to participate actively in problem solving. If community policing is to succeed, the supervisor must genuinely support organizational changes. Supervisors must become knowledgeable about the duties expected of them.
Sergeant Daniels should teach Jones the SARA model. SARA stands for scanning, analysis, response, and assessment. The SARA model is not the only way to approach problem solving, but many police officers and supervisors have found it to be a very useful research device.
It is not uncommon for mistakes to precede innovative results. Sergeant Daniels must develop an attitude of acceptance of failure. Management of the total department begins with the attitude that positive failures can become the power that propels that organization toward the attainment of goals. The first-line supervisor must manage in a casual manner. Community policing is new ground, and problem-solving is a new technique.
Chapter 03: Interpersonal Communications — Striving for Effectiveness
With more than 12 years of work experience as well as a graduate degree in public policy and management, Officer James Mills has just been assigned a specific responsibility with regard to the department's approach toward crime prevention. As a new initiative, the police chief has appointed Officer Mills as a public relations officer who is charge of the community-oriented police task force. Within this role, Officer Mills is charged with the responsibility of creating and implementing partnership relationships between law enforcement officers and citizens of certain high–crime rate communities. As a high-profile officer in the community, Officer Mills spends a great deal of time communicating with a vast number of officers and citizens on a daily basis. Due to the nature of his job, Officer Mills uses skills and resources when communicating with others, including the use of certain technological devices as well as numerous public speaking and training activities.
In view of the fact that most of his job will be involved in communication with line officers and community residents, Officer Mills will need to develop his communication skills if he wants his law enforcement agency to succeed. Communication has proven to be the key to success. Communication is the foundation of interpersonal relations.
Barriers to communication may stem from physical obstructions, psychological beliefs, as well as physiological factors such as fatigue. Barriers to communication are numerous but generally include a concern about one's knowledge of a subject, the probability of being looked upon with displeasure, jeopardizing one's status, environmental influences, personal expectations, and semantics.
Advantages are acknowledgement of the importance of information, greater mutual understanding, improved accuracy of information, and sharing of authority and responsibility. In two-way communication, there is an exchange.
One-way communication is preferable when compliance is imperative, feedback is not wanted, orderliness is significant, and speed is important. This may take place during an emergency situation. In one-way communication, the sender communicates without expecting or receiving feedback from the recipient.
Feedback influences behavior and can build a foundation of trust between the supervisor and officers. Feedback is limited unless it is viewed as a process intended to help the recipient understand the communication.
Chapter 04: Motivation — A Prerequisite for Success
Sergeant Willis has just been promoted to supervisor. She is eager to do a great job and maintain a good reputation but during the past few weeks as supervisor, she has noticed that some of the officers are not very motivated. For example, Officer Mathis is constantly leaving work early or calling in sick; Officer Smith is almost always late due to the fact that he has a second job; and Officer Anderson is a new officer who usually seems distracted and never really seems to know what she should be doing. As much as Sergeant Willis wants a relationship of trust between the officers and herself, she knows that the officers did not trust their previous sergeant so they do not really express their concerns with her. Having a background and degree in management, Sergeant Willis knows that these officers and some others have no motivation. She is also familiar with several of the motivational theories. She decides to implement new practices based on her knowledge of the popular motivational theories.
Through behavior modification, Sergeant Willis can seek to influence behavior to meet organizational objectives. Within this framework, officers will continue to repeat behavior with positive consequences and will cease behavior that has negative results.
Sergeant Willis can reinforce desired behavior among the subordinates through positive reinforcement. Consequences should be imposed immediately after a behavior has occurred. To delay responding will lead to either indifference or complete refusal to engage in desired behavior. When positive reinforcement is used to shape behavior, it must be used consistently and continuously. If positive reinforcement is to work, it must be response-contingent. A supervisor should be encouraged to use reinforcement techniques to shape subordinates' behavior.
Though often viewed as an effective means of obtaining compliance, punishment seldom produces long-lasting results. When it is used exclusively, it promotes resentment and fear, especially when used in an unpredictable manner. Punishment should be used as a means of last resort and should not be embraced as a management style.
Within a good workplace, the relationship between each employee and the organization is one of trust. When trust is present, officers get real satisfaction from the job. According to the text, trust between managers and employees is the primary defining characteristic of the very best workplaces.
The supervisor whose primary drive is esteem will most likely be a successful manager. The supervisor will exert great effort in order to achieve recognition and should take time to convey to the officers that they are important to the organization. Supervisors whose drive is esteem will seek to do a great job in order to receive respect and recognition from others.
Chapter 05: Leadership — The Integrative Variable
As a result of receiving his annual performance appraisal, Officer Mays has been demoted to the rank of a patrol officer. In addition to being the subject of a number of internal affairs investigations, Officer Mays has been guilty of the following leadership mistakes:
- Failure to reprimand officers for poor performance
- Inconsistent and substandard leadership style
- Allowing nonsupervisory personnel to make improper supervisory decisions
As a patrol officer, Officer Mays is determined to not allow his poor decisions and experiences to have a negative impact upon his attitude. In fact, it is not uncommon for Officer Mays to share his leadership mistakes and experiences as a means of offering guidance among first-line supervisors. Despite the impact of his mistakes, Officer Mays is convinced that leadership is part of his future. In many instances, he has been called upon by a variety of training programs as a guest lecturer and speaker.
Question 1: What are some suggestions with regard to reprimanding subordinates for poor performance?
Some ideas include: (1) allow an officer to save face by indicating how the dispute may be resolved; (2) allow the subordinate adequate time to respond; (3) discuss the problem without letting one's emotions enter the exchange; and (4) have the subordinate repeat what you have said in order to ensure understanding. Most people have a difficult time reprimanding officers. The ideas above are keys to instituting the process with the least amount of difficulty.
Traditional supervisors are highly task-oriented and independent decision-makers. They favor strict adherence to rules and the chain of command. Supportive supervisors are less concerned with enforcing rules and paperwork and often serve as advocates for their officers by protecting them from injustices and harmful conditions. Innovative supervisors generally embrace new ideas and work with the public. Active supervisors lead by example. Officer Mays is a supportive supervisor and is very innovative. He also leads by example so that he is involved as an active supervisor.
Participative leadership slows down the decision-making process, takes a long time to evolve, and is time-consuming. A participative manager never performs the task alone.
Officer Mays is optimistic and confronts adversity with persistence and consistency. A leader acts to overcome obstacles.
Officer Mays is relationship-oriented because he practices a participative leadership that encourages teamwork. When the relationship between subordinates and a leader can be described as good, the supervisor is in a good position to influence behavior due to trust.
Chapter 06: Team Building — Maximizing the Group Process
Recently, first-line supervisor Joe Nickels has been going fishing with three of the line officers he supervises. They all enjoy fishing and go whenever they have some free time. Sergeant Nickels enjoys this time and looks forward to their fishing trips. Fishing with the officers has allowed Sergeant Nickels the opportunity to get to know the officers better. This is important to him because he sees value in developing relationships with the officers. He believes that developing positive personal relationships is good for their work and for attaining organizational goals. He decided to invite another supervisor, John Richards, to come along on the fishing trips, thinking the supervisor would find it beneficial and enjoyable. Surprisingly, Richards told Sergeant Nickels that he would not attend the fishing trips. Sergeant Richards believes that having personal relationships with line officers is unprofessional, will cause the officers to no longer see him as an authority figure, and will result in him losing respect.
Formal groups are created by the organization. Informal groups are the result of the formal organization being unable to meet all social requirements. Informal groups cut across organizational lines. Formal groups are supported by the organization.
A supervisor should try to develop effective and positive personal relationships within a group. Then the supervisor can seek out group members to obtain opinions and open communication. The goal is to humanize the organization and reduce friction between the department and the officers.
Groups will always exist within an organization. They can either be destructive or supportive. Knowing how a group functions usually leads to effective problem- solving. When a supervisor understands the interaction between individuals and groups, it will lead to more effective problem-solving, the potential for the development of group loyalty, and the creation of a foundation that will lead to improved morale.
The supervisor's primary responsibility is to achieve results through people. They must acquire an understanding of group dynamics. They are facilitators and developers. Finally, they need to build winning teams. An effective supervisor is one who has taken the time to become aware of group processes. It is the task of a supervisor to develop a truly winning team in which each officer accepts and promotes the BLOW concept of team membership. The four components of the BLOW model are: Be part of the cause; Lend a hand; Obey the rules; and Work in partnership.
Sergeant Nickels is involved in an informal group and a vertical clique with the subordinates. As fishing was not supported by the organization, it is an informal group. The fact that a sergeant is in a group with subordinates crosses organizational ranks, making it a vertical clique.
Chapter 07: Change — Coping with Organizational Life
Sergeant Jackson has just learned from upper management that a new policy is to take place. For various reasons, overtime work and pay for line officers have been postponed for the next two years. This means that the hard-working men and women that serve the community and work under Sergeant Jackson will not be able to work overtime and receive overtime pay for the next two years. Sergeant Jackson knows that this will deeply affect many of them, given many of their circumstances and especially because their wages are already low and circumstances are difficult for some officers he supervises. For example Officer Brown's wife just had a baby, Officer Burke's husband just lost his job, and Officer Smith is the sole provider for his family. Sergeant Jackson knows that this change will not be easily accepted and will be resisted. He can understand why.
He can diffuse resistance by being knowledgeable on the new policy and informing the officers of the new change. Communication is key. When officers are to be impacted by change, acquiescence is more apt to occur when they are knowledgeable. It is reassuring to know all pertinent facts right from the start. It is disconcerting when a decision has been made that affects the way officers are required to operate, but is discovered after the fact.
Sergeant Jackson interprets policies and serves as a spokesperson for management. First-line supervisors function as part of the management team, which separates them from officers in labor issues.
Those who have conducted research on organizational change suggest that approximately 10 percent of employees will actively embrace change. Eighty percent will wait to be convinced or wait until the change is unavoidable. The remaining 10 percent will actively resist change. For these people, change is very upsetting. In some cases, this latter group may even seek to subvert or sabotage the process.
Money (in terms of salaries and fringe benefits) is a key issue for most police officers. This is especially noticed when income is below what is considered par.
They are likely to turn to the police union. A police union is viewed as a way to fight for improved working conditions, institute grievance procedures, or have a say in the management of the organization. Police officers have willingly accepted union leadership when it has led to the opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their future, provide for some semblance of economic security, and challenge the autocratic power of police managers.
Chapter 08: Performance Appraisal — The Key to Police Personnel Development
Sergeant Lukas has been told by upper management that performance appraisals need to be conducted next week. He is feeling somewhat uneasy about conducting them because this will be his first time doing it and he knows that a couple of officers will not receive good feedback. Those officers have been performing very poorly. Sergeant Lukas knows that if he conducts the appraisals, the officers will respond in a negative manner. He wants to avoid conflict with the officers and not be criticized or disliked by them, especially because he has good relationships with most of them. What should he do?
Supervisors must be the ones to conduct performance appraisals. He needs to be equipped to conduct the appraisals. He should see the appraisals as a challenge because it gives him an opportunity to enhance the quality of personnel, which is for the good of the agency. Personnel evaluation is one of the most difficult aspects of a very complex job. Human factors alone cannot guarantee the success of a particular performance appraisal program. Institutional support is absolutely essential.
Being a good evaluator requires natural talent, knowledge, and the acquisition of special skills.
Sergeant Lucas can use several approaches: graphic rating scale, critical incident method, BARS, MBO, and Paired Comparison. There is no consensus about the best way to approach performance appraisal in complex criminal justice organizations. In fact, there are several competing schools of thought.
Sergeant Lucas should seek to avoid the error of leniency, error of central tendency, error of the halo effect, error of bias, contrast error, and recency error. While the chance of error cannot be eliminated altogether, supervisors can be trained to recognize common errors such these and to devise strategies designed to mitigate their effect on performance appraisal.
Follow-up by the supervisor completes the evaluation cycle, sets the stage for subsequent appraisals, and provides momentum for the performance assessment process. Sergeants are expected to check on each subordinate's progress in meeting the mutually acceptable goals established during the performance appraisal interview.
Chapter 09: Training, Coaching, Counseling, and Mentoring — Helping Officers Grow and Develop
Sergeant Jane McMurray has just been promoted to supervisor. She is very excited to start her new position and has many new ideas she wants to introduce to the agency. Sergeant McMurray strongly believes and supports in mentorship between supervisors and officers. She wants to fully equip the officers in order to achieve organizational goals through them. Even though she has been through training, Sergeant McMurray wants to learn as much as she can in order to be an effective supervisor. She would like advice from someone who knows a lot on the subject of training, coaching, teaching, and mentoring. Based on the chapter, what advice would you give Sergeant McMurray?
Sergeant McMurray's primary role is to obtain results through people, lead by example, and motivate. A sergeant is judged on the ability to motivate subordinates to help accomplish the department's vision, mission, and values in an efficient and effective manner. Training is one of several tools available to help sergeants achieve this end.
When a supervisor continually communicates the vision and the principles of the department, officers become motivated and committed; as a consequence, the cohesiveness of the department is enhanced greatly.
Characteristics of an effective coach include vision, self-confidence, and self-development.
Constructive feedback can be of two types—optimistic or corrective—when dealing in the realm of performance coaching.
The three styles of counseling are combined, directive, and nondirective.
Chapter 10: Discipline — An Essential Element of Police Supervision
After three months of investigative efforts by the FBI, a total of four officers were found guilty of engaging in police misconduct as well as a number of criminal acts. For a variety of reasons, these officers were engaging in deviant behavior with no regard for decency, professionalism, or respect for their police department. Two of the four officers found guilty of misconduct were well experienced supervisors with more than 28 years of management experience. When questioned as to why they engaged in such activities, all of the officers acknowledged that their department consistently encouraged such unprofessional acts. Specifically, they argued that their department's lack of discipline and self-restraint stems from the philosophy of their supervisors.
The nature of discipline is to promote (1) obedience, (2) self-control, and (3) the deterrence of professional misconduct. From this perspective, maintaining discipline is a management function that involves conditioning subordinates in order to promote (1) obedience, (2) internal self-control, and (3) acceptance of punishments designed to curb individual deviance or professional misconduct.
The sergeant's role as a disciplinarian involves the following: (1) recognizing disciplinary problems as they arise, (2) gathering pertinent data concerning the situation, (3) analyzing factors relevant to the problem, (4) determining appropriate disciplinary action, (5) initiating discipline for subordinates when authorized, and (6) documenting the case for subsequent review. Because of their position in the department hierarchy and the legitimate authority vested in their rank, sergeants play a much more important and direct role in the disciplinary process than almost any other police manager. For all practical purposes, they are the departmental disciplinarians—with the power to discipline nearly every line officer engaged in the delivery of police services.
According to the text, the keys to effective discipline are as follows: (1) do not overlook discipline problems, (2) exhibit model behavior, (3) enforce discipline in an immediate and consistent fashion, (4) never lose control, (5) be instructive and fair, and (6) avoid private affairs. These tips can be described as: don't be a discipline ostrich, become a "Caesar's wife," practice the "hot stove," never lose control, be instructive, be firm but fair, stay out of the employees' private life, state rules in a positive manner, do not be a disciplinary magician, and be precise.
The normal sequence of punishment with progressively severe discipline action is as follows: informal discussion, oral warning, written reprimand, final written warning, transfer, suspension, demotion, and discharge.
A disciplinary action will deter misbehaviors and help purge undesirables from police work. It will also prevent systematic failure. The text holds that disciplinary action must be prompt, certain, reasonable, and fair if it is to deter misbehavior and help purge undesirables from police work. The absence of effective (positive as well as negative) discipline is the harbinger of systematic failure.
Chapter 11: Internal Discipline — A System of Accountability
Sergeant Doyle has just been approached by Officer Jacobs. Officer Jacobs wants to report some police corruption and deviance that he has recently witnessed by two officers. He claims that he saw one of the officers selling drugs to residents of a community and he saw the other officer witness the sale of drugs and do nothing about it. Officer Jacobs wishes to remain anonymous because he knows what a delicate situation this is. Upon hearing this, Sergeant Doyle is shocked at the report because those two officers being accused of police deviance have each been with the police agency for more than 11 years and appear to be hard workers. Sergeant Doyle is troubled by all of this. What should he do?
These officers, if guilty, are involved in nonfeasance and malfeasance. For the purpose of analysis, occupational deviance can be broken down into three general categories: Nonfeasance is failure to take appropriate action as required by law or department policy. Misfeasance is performing a required and lawful task in an unacceptable, inappropriate, or unprofessional manner. Malfeasance is wrongdoing or illegal conduct that depends on or is related to the misuse of legitimate authority.
The complaint was both a personnel complaint and an internal complaint. A personnel complaint is a formal accusation alleging that a particular employee is guilty of legal, moral, or professional misconduct. Internal complaints originate within the organization.
Sergeant Doyle should conduct a personnel complaint investigation. Substantive personnel complaints, however, should be plugged in to the internal investigations process and dealt with in a very straightforward manner.
The first step in a personnel investigation is to interview the complainant.
To forecast and deal with disciplinary problems, Sergeant Doyle can build a strong supervisory structure and use warning systems such as the EWS (early warning system). The text holds that the most effective means of fighting deviance and corruption within the police department is to build a strong supervisory structure in which sergeants have both the authority and the skills needed to regulate the behavior of their subordinates. One approach to forecasting and dealing with potential disciplinary problems that is now being used in progressive police departments is known as the early warning system (EWS).
Chapter 12: Supervising the Difficult Employee — Special Considerations
Officer Astrid Crow has always been work-oriented, success-driven, and highly focused on assignments. She is very self-confident, and her supervisor, Sergeant Sassine, has always been able to depend on her. Officer Crow does not have to be supervised as closely as some of the other officers (such as Officer Mary Raines, who resists every new idea Sergeant Sassine has). The only negative aspect about Officer Crow is that she is somewhat intolerant of other employees' work that does not meet her standards.
About two months ago, Officer Crow was one of the first officers to respond to a very violent scene. Since that incident, Sergeant Sassine has noticed a change in Officer Crow's behavior. Officer Crow seems withdrawn from others, has outbursts of anger, does not seem to be able to concentrate, and has been complaining of not being able to sleep. The symptoms have lasted for more than a month.
Officer Astrid Crow is an "ascendant" type of employee. These employees are work-oriented and perceive the job as being uppermost in life. They are success-driven and exhibit a high energy level. They focus on their assignment as well as the needs of the department, and are self-starters.
Officer Mary Raines is a "defeatist" type of employee. Defeatists are those who resist every new idea. To them, change is something of which to be skeptical, and enjoyment is only found in performing a cynical role.
Officer Crow may be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Continued exposure to violence can result in PTSD, a psychological condition that is caused by one's inability to successfully manage an emotional response triggered by severe trauma.
Sergeant Sassine should have organized a debriefing session for those involved in the incident. As soon as possible after a critical incident, officers should participate in a debriefing session, which is a conversation with an individual who has just experienced a stressful or traumatic event to reduce the possibility of psychological harm.
Sergeant Sassine could suggest peer counseling. Peer counselors have been highly successful in dealing with various problems. The real advantage of peer counseling is that it provides officers and their family members with an opportunity to discuss personal and professional problems confidentially.
Chapter 13: Supervising Minorities — Respecting Individual and Cultural Differences
Officer Fernando Lopez has just been hired to work at University Park Police Department. He is the first nonwhite officer to ever work in this police department. On Lopez's first day on the job, his supervisor, Sergeant Noles, noticed some of the other officers snickering and making racist comments about Officer Lopez. None of the other officers even tried to approach Lopez and get to know him. Sergeant Noles is very concerned and knows that the behavior of these officers is not appropriate. Sergeant Noles is contemplating what step to take next.
Sergeant Noles's role is to maintain a work environment in which employees work together to accomplish a departmental goal. It is the supervisor's primary responsibility to create and maintain an environment in which all employees are able to satisfy some of their needs while working cooperatively with others to accomplish the mission, goals, and objectives of the department.
These officers are exhibiting an attitude of prejudice. Prejudice is a negative attitude toward a particular group considered different and inferior. The opinion is based partially on observation and partially on ignorance, ethnocentrism, and xenophobia. These erroneous generalizations are applied to all members of the group, regardless of individual differences.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on national origin, ethnic group, sex, creed, age, or race.
Sergeant Noles should be familiar with protected classes because it will allow him to be sensitive when it comes to potentially illegal discriminatory practices. As a manager of human resources, it is in the sergeant's best interest to become familiar with groups that have been granted "minority" status and to develop an understanding of why they are classified as such. Irrespective of their social perspectives or personal biases, sergeants, as first-line supervisors who interact with a diverse workforce on a daily basis, must be sensitive when it comes to potentially illegal discriminatory practices. They must also adjust their supervisory methods in a concerted effort to avoid these practices.
Sergeant Noles can employ the OUCH model, which holds that all actions should be: Objective, Uniform in application, Consistently applied, and Have job relatedness. The OUCH acronym provides practical guidance for ethical, nondiscriminatory supervision in the context of modern police work.
Chapter 14: Tactical Operations — Critical Incident Deployment
Sergeant Rosen is enjoying his lunch when all of a sudden he gets a call on his radio. A mother at a toy store cannot find her five-year-old child. Sergeant Rosen arrives at the scene and sees the mother panicking and crying. The people around her are trying to comfort her. Sergeant Rosen notices that there are no officers at the scene yet. Being very familiar with the building and property floor plan, he begins securing the grounds and promptly communicates the nature of the situation to headquarters. He needs help and realizes that after a few minutes there are still no officers at the scene. After 10-15 minutes, a couple of officers show up and assist Sergeant Rosen. The child is eventually found.
After the incident, Sergeant Rosen has a debriefing. He wants to know why the officers took longer than they should have to arrive at the scene and why only a few officers showed up. Some of the officers state that they did not think that the situation was serious. They thought the mother was being careless with her child and would eventually find him. Other officers thought that other officers would arrive at the scene.
Difficulty with or lack of communication can hamper rescue efforts. For the Incident Command System (ICS) to work properly, an integrated communications network must be established, including the necessary hardware to transfer information and a process by which information can be transmitted internally and externally.
A failure to act promptly in a critical incident can result in unnecessary death or injury to citizens.
While the first officer on any scene has the responsibility to aid the injured, take custody of perpetrators, and secure the scene, the first supervisor on the scene of a critical incident must communicate promptly to headquarters the nature of the situation once a quick assessment has been made.
Yes, Sergeant Rosen knew the grounds and floor plans of the building. Having such pregathered information helped him respond faster and increased his ability to secure the building. Pregathered information about contact persons, floor plans, and schedules is invaluable during the chaotic moments of a critical incident. Police line supervisors are in a particularly good position to gather such pre-crisis information. Because they are familiar with their assigned work zone, they can readily determine potential targets, locations for command posts, alternate traffic routing, evacuation routes and procedures, contact persons in workplaces and schools, and so on.
Tactical debriefings allow officers and supervisors to critique actions and procedures in order to identify mistakes and areas that need improvement in future incidents. As soon as possible after a critical incident, debriefings should be conducted with all officers involved. In addition to tactical debriefings, there can be emotional debriefings, which attempt to minimize the potentially negative psychological effects of traumatic incidents on officers' psychological well-being.
Chapter 15: Labor Relations — Problem Solving through Constructive Conflict
Sergeant Laura Bradford has just delivered some bad news to the officers. Due to budget cuts, the officers will not receive a salary raise for the next two years, and their health benefits will change to something less costly. The officers are shocked and upset. Some of them are the sole providers of their family, and all are dependent on yearly raises and benefits. Officer Paul Max is especially discouraged and upset at this new development. He and his is wife just had twins, and his wife gave up her job so she can stay at home and care for the newborns. He believes he really needs a raise and cannot afford to lose benefits. Officer Max and a few other officers decide to contact their union.
Labor unions engage in collective bargaining on behalf of public employees. Independent and unaffiliated local unions have sprung up to represent the unique interests of specialized government personnel. Teachers, firefighters, and municipal police officers are the most heavily unionized groups in the public sector. Unions serve two masters, by providing gains for workers and political support for legislators, as well as government managers.
This is an appropriate topic to bring to the union because police unions have had a profound influence on issues with salaries, supplemental pay, and benefits. Unions also influence policy on hours and working conditions, manpower allocation, job assignments, occupational safety, discipline and procedural due process, evaluation and promotion procedures, resource allocation, law enforcement policy, police–community relations, and training and professional development
In the event that union members become dissatisfied with union performance, they can petition for "decertification" of the union as their collective bargaining agent.
Union proposals can be divided into four basic categories: (1) nonnegotiable —those the team believes it must have; (2) negotiable — those the team would like to have, but on which it is willing to compromise; (3) trade-off — those the team should submit for trading purposes; and expendable — those the team is willing to give up.
Once a particular issue, clause, or proposal is placed on the table, the other team is obligated to respond to it. There are four basic responses: accepted, accepted with minor modification, rejected, and rejected with counterproposal.
Chapter 16: Homeland Security and Terrorism — A Changing Role
With terrorist attacks being covered in the news more recently, Sergeant Anne Pope is concerned that the subordinates she supervises do not have enough information about terrorism, nor have they been given the appropriate training to deal with terrorist attack situations. Sergeant Pope is also interested in learning more about her own role as a supervisor in a terrorist attack scene. In view of this, she decides to hold a seminar in which everyone will be given information and training on how to respond effectively to terrorist situations. She plans to bring people in from the FBI to inform, train, and talk to the officers. What topics should Sergeant Pope make sure are covered in the seminar?
Local police are typically the first responders to a terrorist attack. A primary goal of the DHS and the FBI is to help train, equip, provide intelligence, and support local law enforcement in preventing and responding to terrorist attacks. In addition, local law enforcement may be the first to receive information from citizens regarding potential terrorist threats.
The first-line police supervisor has three primary responsibilities to deal with the terrorist threat: (1) safety, (2) information, and (3) effective first response. The first responsibility of the police supervisor is safety of the public and subordinate officers. Calls for service that involve suspicious persons, vehicles, and packages cannot be taken lightly, particularly in areas that have been identified as possible terrorist targets or in areas where large numbers of people are gathered.
Domestic terrorism is carried out by persons who are citizens of the country against whom their attacks are targeted. Foreign terrorism is carried out by citizens of another country who target other countries.
Intelligence allows for a more in-depth analysis of crime problems. Several local law enforcement agencies have initiated a data analysis system in which both traditional and nontraditional law enforcement data are used for a more in-depth analysis of crime problems. These data are collected and used for both incident-level and aggregate-level analyses.
It is important for Sergeant Pope and the officers to educate the public on terrorism because members of the public might be able to identify and report suspicious behavior that could possibly prevent a terrorist incident. The need for local police to educate citizens and encourage reporting suspicious activities has always been a part of crime prevention and community-based policing efforts. Expanding these efforts to potential terrorist attacks could lead to fruitful intelligence and even prevent a terrorist incident.