246 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
246 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
August 1991
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WHAT THEY DIDN'T TEACH IN MANAGEMENT SCHOOL
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By
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James D. Sewell, Ph.D.
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Director
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Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute
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Tallahassee, Florida
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Contemporary criminal justice management courses emphasize
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a number of relevant topics, such as resource management, labor
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relations, program evaluation, external influences on public
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administration and organizational change. However, in the
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classroom, the approach most commonly taken is on the macro
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level and only deals with theory and academic research. And,
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while classroom experience is extremely useful, applying the
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information learned in the classroom to the job often leaves
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much to be desired. Oftentimes, a newly appointed chief of
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police must quickly, and sometimes painfully, discover that
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there are many things they did not teach in management school.
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As a result, the administration of a police department,
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large or small, becomes a continuing education for a police
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chief. The lessons a recently appointed police chief learns are
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many and cannot be discussed in a single article. However, some
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of the most important lessons, specific to managing a small
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department, can be summarized into a few basic tenents:
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* Command hurts;
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* Change is difficult to implement and often not desired;
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* Politics are everywhere;
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* The police chief is a public figure;
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* It is easy and probably a good idea to develop a "my
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town" attitude;
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* In a small department, the workload can be especially
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heavy;
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* The job can still be fun.
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COMMAND HURTS
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In the paramilitary world of law enforcement, there can
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ultimately be only one boss. And, in small police departments,
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where more intimate personal relationships exist between the
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police chief and employees, it is usually decisions regarding
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personnel that are the most difficult and emotionally
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distressing. Years of law enforcement training prepare
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administrators for tactical and strategic problems and
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operational decisions. As a result, many police chiefs find
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that making life-or-death decisions is easier than initiating
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procedures that could cost officers their rank, salary, or job.
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In addition to this "people pain" that a police chief can
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experience, command can also hurt when a police chief's motives
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or values are misinterpreted. Some employees may assume that
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hidden agendas exist, and regardless of a chief's moral
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convictions, someone may assume that a chief has, at some point,
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compromised integrity in order to become chief. And, especially
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as a result of personnel-related decisions, the chief's actions
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may be viewed as wrong. Some employees may believe that the
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discipline was either too strong or too weak, that the
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punishment did not fit the "crime," or that all wrongdoers were
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not punished equally.
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CHANGE IS DIFFICULT
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Most enlightened administrators believe that one of their
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primary roles, especially when first taking over organizations,
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is to act as agents of change. It must, however, be noted that
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change within an organization is always difficult, and in most
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circumstances, there will be employees who do not, or will not,
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adapt well. Change requires adjustment, and adjustment is
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stressful. As a result, individuals react in order to reduce
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stress. Therefore, for a police chief in this position, it may
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be wise to first keep in mind that:
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* Adult behavior is difficult to change.
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* Goals detailing change should not be set too high and
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should be based on employee abilities and not on an
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administrator's personal desires and/or motives.
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* Until a police chief can assess employees, it is better
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to "walk softly and carry a big stick." It is far
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easier to soften one's management style than to tighten
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it at a later date. This is particularly true for law
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enforcement departments where sensitivity, interest, and
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professionalism on the part of the chief could be
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mistaken for personal weakness.
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* It is only natural that a police chief sometimes
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believes that management could be wonderful if it
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weren't for the employees.
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In addition, the difficult nature of organizational change
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is not limited to employee-related problems. Outside governing
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agencies often have an entirely different vision of if and when
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change is necessary. They may also lack a complete
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understanding of the professional needs, roles, and direction of
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a contemporary law enforcement agency. Consequently, it is not
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uncommon for a chief's desires to conflict directly with these
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outside agencies. For the police chief, this resulting
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frustration is particularly intense when the conflict centers
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around improved professionalization and the education of
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departmental personnel.
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Darrell Stephens, Executive Director of the Police
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Executive Research Forum and a former police chief, captured the
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essence of this issue when he said:
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"Under the best circumstances, it is a struggle for any
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police chief to successfully develop and sustain the kind
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of support needed from the community, city manager, city
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council, and the officers themselves. Even Herculean
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efforts are doomed to fail when there is a mandate for
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change, but no agreement among these groups about what
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should be done or the best way to go about it." (1)
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A corollary to the issue of fear of change in a department
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is that not all employees want enlightened, progressive
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managers. Many may prefer the status quo, and still others may
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want to return to the managerial style of an earlier era. In
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either case, such employees may act as stumbling blocks to
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change and may resist the personal interest and involvement
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required of modern law enforcement managers.
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On the bright side, meaningful change can often occur more
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quickly in a small department. With strong leadership from the
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police chief, and because small departments lack an extended
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bureaucracy, efforts at change are distorted less. As a result,
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change can be achieved on a more timely basis.
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POLITICS ARE EVERYWHERE
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Many law enforcement leaders pride themselves on their
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professionalism and on the fact that politics do not interfere
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with their management style or their decisions. However, in
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reality, all decisions are political in nature. In addition, in
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order for police chiefs to keep their jobs, they must respect,
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understand, and successfully deal with the political nature of
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law enforcement.
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In small departments, politics may often play an even
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stronger role. Often, residents of small cities have a more
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direct interest and involvement in police matters and may be
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more quick to provide direct feedback concerning the department
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to its governing council or commission. Where council members
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and special interest groups encourage attendance at public
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meetings, this feedback may become even stronger. And, in
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closeknit communities, direct involvement in law enforcement
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policy and direction may be one of the few ways council members
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could possibly secure their reelection.
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THE POLICE CHIEF IS A PUBLIC FIGURE
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In many communities, citizens are looking for public
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officials who care about local problems, who will take time to
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listen, and who fit their image of a public leader.
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Particularly in small cities and counties, the police chief is,
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indeed, a public figure. Whether an elected sheriff or an
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appointed chief of police, the chief law enforcement executive
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occupies a position of power, influence, and respect. However,
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with this heightened position comes added responsibility.
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Indeed, a police chief is often held to a higher degree of
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accountability than many other public officials, and certainly
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to a higher standard of integrity.
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DEVELOPING A "MY TOWN" ATTITUDE
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In small communities, most police chiefs are well-known, and
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hopefully, well-received by the business community and citizens.
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As a result, many police chiefs develop a sense of personal
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pride in their communities, which is often lacking in large
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police departments. This personal pride is often accompanied by
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a sense of personal ownership. With such a positive attitude
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and outlook on the community, policing the local citizens
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becomes a personal obligation.
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SMALL DEPARTMENT/HEAVY WORKLOAD
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Because small law enforcement departments may lack the
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budget, personnel resources, and equipment of their counterparts
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in large communities, it may be far more difficult to serve as a
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chief of police of a small agency. Large agencies allow for
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more management and supervisory strata, for more staff support
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in areas such as planning and budgeting, and for alternative
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development tracks for the administrative staff.
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In small agencies, police chiefs are expected to fill a
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variety of roles. Routinely, and with limited staff, chiefs may
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serve as planners, budget officers, personnel administrators,
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equipment acquisition officers, and principal policy
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writer/developers. These demands require a broad base of
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managerial skills and a seemingly endless supply of time,
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effort, and energy.
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THE JOB CAN STILL BE FUN
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It is not uncommon to hear law enforcement executives
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reminisce about their experiences when they served as patrol
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officers or detective supervisors early in their careers. This
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is especially true in large departments, because as officers
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progress through the ranks, they become further removed from the
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excitement and rewards of hands-on law enforcement and more
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preoccupied with administrative matters.
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In small departments, however, managers, including police
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chiefs, often find themselves performing patrol and
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investigative functions. It is not uncommon, for example, for
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the chief to do double-duty during times of patrol personnel
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shortages or to serve as the case coordinator in major criminal
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cases. In such departments, chiefs can still enjoy the daily
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activities of a patrol officer without, as one municipal chief
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noted, "the pain of having to do the reports." In addition, the
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opportunity to perform patrol or investigative functions
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occasionally, even for short periods, can also serve to relieve
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stress and add a sense of stability.
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CONCLUSION
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Although criminal justice management courses and
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administration textbooks discuss the science of management,
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becoming a successful law enforcement executive is a process
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that involves an on-going education. And, despite difficult
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personnel-related decisions, the problems of initiating change,
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and a heavy workload, being the chief of police in a small
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community has numerous rewards. Most importantly, it is a
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valued position of public trust that continually provides police
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chiefs of small communities with flexibility and new
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experiences.
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FOOTNOTE
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(1) "Subject to Debate," Police Executive Research Forum
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newsletter, vol. 4, No. 5, 1990, p. 3.
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