318 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
318 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
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September 1990
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PROMOTION TO CHIEF:
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KEYS TO SUCCESS IN A SMALL DEPARTMENT
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By
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Carl L. Spicocchi
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Chief of Police
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Swatara Township Police Department
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Swatara Township, Pennsylvania
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"In May 1987, I became chief of the Swatara Township,
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Pennsylvania, Police Department. Like most communities
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in the country, Swatara's police department is small.
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Still, when I was appointed chief, I realized that I would
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be facing formidable obstacles. Some of these obstacles
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had been anticipated, and some had not. I had gained many
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advantages--or perceived advantages--as a result of my new
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position. Independence and more responsibility were the
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``rewards'' for a career in law enforcement. But, as I
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quickly learned, the independence and responsibility of the
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position could easily become negative factors to a chief
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ill-prepared to handle them."
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"What follows is an account of some of the problems that I
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faced after becoming a new chief in a small department. I
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will present some of the hazards that confront a new chief
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and possible solutions or ways to avoid these hazards.
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This is a personal account, but one that may aid others
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when they become chiefs of small police departments."
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GOING FROM OUTSIDER TO INSIDER
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As a newly appointed chief from outside the department, I
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immediately discovered new problems that I would have to face.
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Understandably, various rumors circulated throughout the force
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about me, even before I took command.
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Since all in the department were concerned as to who I was
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and what I expected, I tried to minimize their fears of the
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unknown almost immediately upon taking office. Sometimes,
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subordinates view a new chief as a ``headhunter.'' Suspicion
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and general paranoia create an atmosphere that threatens
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efficiency and conscientious performance. I attempted to quell
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this belief by advising all of my management style as early as
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possible. I was careful not to build any unrealistic
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expectations; if I promised things that I could not deliver, I
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would only damage my credibility.
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In a small department, it is not only preferable but also
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essential for the chief to establish and develop a rapport with
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the officers. As a new chief, I sought to allay their natural
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fears and encouraged them to bring problems to my attention.
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Because they had been in the department longer than I, they were
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in a better position to know what policies and procedures didn't
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work or what needed to be modified. Together, we would focus on
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what needed to be done. (1) More importantly, I avoided saying
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too often, ``We did it this way in my former agency.'' Instead,
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I adopted methods with which I was familiar, but only if I
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thought these procedures could be adapted successfully to the
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needs of my new department.
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I also resisted being overly authoritarian. While
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departments that are experiencing severe disciplinary and morale
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problems may require a more autocratic management style, most
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departments benefit from a style that enhances cooperation
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rather than demands it. Managers who rely solely on power will
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cause the productivity of subordinates to plunge. They will
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shift their energies from doing their jobs to fighting the one
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in command. (2) While there is still debate regarding the
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autocratic versus participative management styles, practice
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suggests that the best choice may be a ``situational'' approach,
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in which a management style is adapted to the particular
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environment. (3) I found that adopting a flexible approach to
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management was more practical and more effective than attempting
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to maintain a certain management style for every situation.
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Another area that can cause problems for a newly appointed
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manager is the transition from individual performer to chief. I
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learned that this can be very difficult. If chiefs are not
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properly prepared and oriented, they may act inappropriately,
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causing problems that otherwise might not have arisen. As a
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result, they become problem managers, and so do the members of
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their command.
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For the new chief, developing a personal relationship with a
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more experienced chief can be very beneficial. This experienced
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manager can serve as a mentor to the newly appointed chief. I
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turned to a supportive chief in a neighboring jurisdiction to
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help acclimate me to the customs, values and social network in
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which I would be operating. (4) I found that in times of
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stress, especially during the first few months of transition, it
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was very helpful to have a source outside the department to turn
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to for support and a sense of reassurance.
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IMPLEMENTING CHANGE
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There are two opposing approaches regarding the
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implementation of change. One theory is to move slowly, since
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people and institutions are generally not receptive to rapid
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change. The second option for the new chief is to make change
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now, especially if a problem is significant, because the power
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to effect change may lessen in time.
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I realized that the most power that I might ever have was
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during my first 2 months in office. Initially, people yielded to
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what they perceived as my expertise. However, as is the case
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with most chiefs, once I was in office for some time and had
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alienated a few people, both inside and outside the department, I
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found that my authority remained the same, but my power to effect
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change had eroded. (5)
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I found that focusing on relationships and learning the
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intricacies of the department consumed most of my first few
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months in office. I also learned that evolutionary rather than
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revolutionary changes were the easiest to accomplish and were
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more readily accepted by personnel in the department. Most
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importantly, I found that input from individuals affected by any
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change was important, and should be sought before a decision to
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make a change is implemented.
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AVOIDING OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
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There are many problems or hazards facing police chiefs
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today. As civil liability concerns continue to heighten, a
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single split-second act of one officer may result in the
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assessment of punitive damages against the chief and the officer.
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Another hazard relates to decisionmaking. I quickly
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realized that careful consideration must be given to every
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decision; if the chief makes the wrong decision too often, staff
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and officers begin to lose confidence. At the same time, a chief
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who hesitates too long in making decisions will be labeled as
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indecisive. I found that as chief, making decisions was not an
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easy task. Basically, I was also caught between both liberals
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and conservatives seeking to influence police operations. But
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what I had to remember at all times was that I had to decide what
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was best for the citizens, the department, and the community,
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regardless of the situation or the parties involved.
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Therefore, newly appointed chiefs must learn to deal
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effectively with problems of police management. New chiefs must
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work to enhance their personal leadership skills through mentors
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or executive management training, while simultaneously managing
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the operations of the department. (6)
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Vying for the top executive position too early is also an
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occupational hazard. Although wanting to ``move up the ladder''
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as quickly as possible is a natural aspiration for a motivated,
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career-minded law enforcement officer, I would caution strongly
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against becoming chief too early. Middle managers in their
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thirties, especially in smaller departments, who want to be
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police chiefs ``now'' should be content with being number two
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(or three) for the present. A police executive is expected to
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be an innovative, dynamic, problem-solving leader, and it's
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difficult to remain in a high-pressure position such as this
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over a 20-year period. (7)
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DELEGATING AUTHORITY
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Time is limited for any chief. Like most chiefs, I found
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that contacts with the city council, mayor, middle managers, and
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other police officers accounted for much of my daily schedule.
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The demands of the organizational structure--conducting
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inspections, evaluations, and ensuring conformity within the
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department--consume even more time, as do the research and
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planning needed to run the department efficiently and
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effectively. With all of these demands, a new chief could
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quickly become enslaved by the position. I realized that proper
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delegation of duties would be essential to avoid this situation.
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Delegation is the art of gradually giving increased
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responsibility to subordinates. First, this means defining the
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functions and responsibilities that should be carried out by
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those having less authority but who can still complete tasks
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successfully. (8) Then, once these functions and responsibilities
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have been defined, the level of authority necessary to accomplish
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each of these tasks is established. Delegation involves a
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four-step process:
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* The chief must transfer responsibility for some tasks to
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a subordinate.
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* The subordinate must accept the responsibility.
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* A mutual trust must develop between the chief and
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subordinate.
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* A system of follow-up must be established to ensure that
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delegated tasks are completed successfully. (9)
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One of the key reasons for delegating tasks is to ensure
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time in a chief's day for personal solitude. Because of the
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many demands on my time, I realized that my temperament was
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going to be tested almost every day. I could either become
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run-down and react to every problem in an unfocused, knee-jerk
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manner, or I could renew my resolve each day to look calmly at
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problems and attempt to correct them. I realized that it was
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imperative to take time out of each hectic day and devote it to
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quality thinking. It is important for a chief to set aside time
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daily for creative thinking and planning for the future.
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I also discovered that my natural tendency was to try to do
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everything myself. Like most chiefs, I was very cautious in
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delegating authority. After all, I was the chief and every
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decision made ultimately reflected on my ability to lead.
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I soon realized, though, that delegating responsibility was
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not only a way to make more time for the things I had to do, but
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it was also essential to the smooth operation of the department.
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When delegating responsibilities to subordinates, I kept in mind
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the following five ``Rules of Monkeys.'' (10) A ``monkey'' is a
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term used to define a task, assignment, function or activity
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that must be performed.
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1. Feed it or shoot it, but never let it starve to death.
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The chief must first decide whether the task needs to
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be performed. Once a decision is made to perform the
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task, and it is delegated to a subordinate, the chief
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must make sure to feed the monkey. In other words, the
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manager must track the progress of the subordinate in
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completing the task. This can be accomplished by
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instituting a tickler system of dates that remind the
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chief to check up on a particular monkey.
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2. Only have those monkeys out that you can afford to feed.
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A manager should not delegate more assignments than can
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be tracked. The manager must not delegate so many
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monkeys that it becomes difficult to control the
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operation. The number of monkeys the chief can have
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running about depends on time commitments, the ability
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of personnel to accept the responsibility of working
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the tasks, and examination of activities currently
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being performed by the agency.
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3. Never conclude a feeding without scheduling the next
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session.
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Every time a discussion is completed concerning the
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monkey, the next meeting must be scheduled. Specific
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goals should be set for the next ``feeding'' date.
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4. Subordinates will find the time to work the monkeys if
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you have the time to feed them.
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The time that the chief saves by delegating tasks can
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be used more effectively in acting as manager and
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advisor.
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5. Keep the ``monkey'' off your back.
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Become a ``monkey supervisor,'' not a ``monkey
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keeper.'' It is not the manager's role to become
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involved in constantly making sound decisions but to
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see that sound decisions are made. I found that the
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best way to do this is to sharpen the skills of
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subordinates by consistently giving them more
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sophisticated assignments and entrusting them with more
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authority.
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CONCLUSION
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To be successful as a police chief in a small department, I
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had to be a strong leader, while being sensitive to the needs of
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people both inside and outside the agency. In order to foster
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support for new initiatives, I had to ``sell'' my policies
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instead of force-feeding them.
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I had to be willing to adjust my management style to suit
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the situation. I also had to be an open, effective
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communicator, willing to listen to other points of view. I had
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to develop the art of delegation and trust my officers and staff
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to do important tasks. And, I had to set aside personal time
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each day to devote to planning and creative thinking.
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I caution any middle manager who is considering becoming
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chief in the near future to weigh carefully the advantages and
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disadvantages of the position before deciding. Being the chief
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of a department requires careful, but decisive, evaluation
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before every decision. A chief can effect real change in a
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community, but to be successful in the position requires
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maturity and a great deal of experience.
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FOOTNOTES
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(1) Robert H. Sandwich, ``The Newly Appointed Chief from
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the Outside,'' Police Chief, August 1981, p. 16.
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(2) Ibid.
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(3) Gary Brown, ``The Metamorphosis of a Police Executive:
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How to Climb to the Top Without Falling Off,'' Police Chief,
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November 1984, p. 28.
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(4) Ronald G. Lynch, The Police Manager (New York: Random
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House, 1987), p. 18.
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(5) Daniel J. Levinson, The Seasons of a Man's Life (New
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York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985).
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(6) Harry W. More, Jr. and John P. Kenney, The Police
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Executive Handbook (Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas,
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1986).
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(7) Ibid.
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(8) Supra note 4, p. 141.
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(9) Ibid.
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(10) Ibid.
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