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