148 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
148 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
September 1991
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POINT OF VIEW:
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MANAGING FOR EXCELLENCE
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By
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David A. King
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Chief of Police
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Perkasie, Pennsylvania, Police Department
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So much has been written on effective personnel management
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that very little is left to be said on the topic. However, law
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enforcement is such a unique field that specific methods for
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selecting, training, deploying, and managing police employees
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are essential in order for any department to be successful.
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Obviously, the police officer is the most visible and
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important component of a law enforcement agency. How well we
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use the personnel resources of our police associates will
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determine how positively the organization is perceived and how
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successfully we attain organizational goals.
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In the past, most agencies went to great lengths to attract
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and recruit highly motivated, educated individuals. But, once
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these individuals were in place, they were oftentimes
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discouraged, and in some instances, even punished for performing
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tasks outside the "standard" parameters. In doing so, we
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systematically eliminated innovative, creative thinking at the
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line level.
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THE COMMUNITY POLICING MODEL
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During the late 1970s, when police departments nationwide
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began facing severe budget constraints, we, as police managers,
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were forced to look for more effective methods in order to meet
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increasing demands for police services. Interestingly enough,
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one such method was increased cooperation between police
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officers and members of the community. This led to the creation
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of separate crime prevention and community service programs in
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nearly every police department in the country.
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At the time, most police administrators believed that
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additional contact with the public would serve not only to
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provide increased service to the citizens but also to enhance
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the police department's professional image. Crime prevention
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programs provided police departments with the opportunity to
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move closer to a positive proactive working relationship with
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the community.
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However, this practice eliminated systematically many
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police officers from the community service equation. The
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specialized service that "crime prevention officers" now
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provided set them apart from their patrol division counterparts.
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Without even realizing it, we had created two distinct, and for
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the most part, separate law enforcement efforts--crime
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prevention and traditional police patrol services.
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Only recently did we realize that community-based policing
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must involve every component of the police organization--from
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administration to command, from investigative to uniformed
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patrol. All aspects of the police organization need to be
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joined in a concerted effort with the community to be effective.
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Community policing allows us to get back in touch with the
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citizens and find out how we can work together for the
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betterment of all. After all, who better to tell us what the
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real law enforcement problems are in our communities than the
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citizens we serve. And, it is these same citizens who can tell
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us how well we are meeting our commitment to address these
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problems. We cannot possibly determine how effective we are
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without listening to those who benefit, or suffer, from our
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efforts.
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Traditionally, beat cops took a personal interest in their
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service areas and were known to be astute at detecting,
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preventing, and suppressing criminal activity through their own
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innovative expertise. Today, the concept of community policing
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is merely an extension of that simple philosophy.
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THE POLICE OFFICER AS A MANAGEMENT RESOURCE
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As police executives, we have sometimes allowed ourselves
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to become too far removed from the operational aspects of
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effective law enforcement. In meeting the challenges of
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providing the department with long-range goal planning, we have
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sometimes become too concerned with the future and not as aware
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of the present as we should be. As police administrators, we
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need to sense the changes in our environments and adjust our
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methodology to meet those changes.
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The line police officers are probably one of the most
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overlooked management resources in any police agency. No one is
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more familiar with the environment in which they must operate
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than law enforcement patrol officers, and no one is more capable
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of making effective suggestions to meet the demands for their
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service. Therefore, we must rethink the philosophy that
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requires unquestioned conformity to departmental procedures and
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discourages individualism. Instead, we should consider the
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input of those on the forefront of the criminal activity
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battleground. Society demands no less.
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As administrators, we must empower our employees to make
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the kinds of decisions that can be effective for specific
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problems in the community in which they serve and in which the
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officer is looked to by the citizen to solve the problem. We
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need officers who work with and for the community. We need
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police officers as community organizers who can serve as
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catalysts for positive action in the crime detection,
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suppression, and prevention. We need personnel who view members
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of the public as concerned, supportive, proactive assistants in
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the law enforcement function. Without an understanding,
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supportive community, the job of effective policing becomes
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increasingly more difficult. And, many officers have for too
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long viewed the general citizenry as more of a nuisance than as
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an effective tool that could assist them in being a
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more-efficient agent against criminal activity.
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SUMMARY
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Community policing empowers officers to make a real
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difference. Police administrators need to become supportive of
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officers in their ranks who can and will serve the community
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policing model, provided that they are allowed to make practical
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decisions that use creative and effective resources. As police
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administrators, we go to great lengths to find the best
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personnel available to meet the difficult challenges of law
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enforcement. We must allow them to use those skills and
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abilities that not only make them good police officers but also
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allow them to become more-effective public servants.
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Administrators have the ability to give patrol officers the
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support they will need in order to manage their individual
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community microcosms. By delegating responsibility, empowering,
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and giving commensurate authority to these officers, we will not
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only provide the essential components to successful applications
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of community policing philosophies but we will also become more
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successful in our search for management excellence.
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______________
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"Point of View" is a forum for law enforcement
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professionals to suggest recommendations to improve police work.
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Submissions for this feature should be typed, double spaced, and
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forwarded to Editor, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Room 7262,
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10th & Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20535. |