Transactional Leadership In The New York Police Department

Policing has come a long way from the days of when the New York Police Department was formed in 1845. At that time, there was no existing law enforcement profession. Many of the patrol officers had a limited education, little legal knowledge, and often used excessive force on criminals. Police officers primary responsibility at that time was patrolling neighborhoods, armed with only a baton, and with little guidance from the departments' leadership. Due to limited supervision by their supervisors, police officers could often be found at local bars and restaurants, eating, drinking, and socializing with community members, instead of being out patrolling. At that time, police officers were seen as figures with the only roles of providing neighborhood security and going after criminals.

Instead of just providing neighborhood security,crime prevention, and responding to calls for service, officers must also develop good relationships with the residents that they serve, mentor youth, and collaborate with communities to identify the specific problems facing their neighborhoods. In order to complete this transition, the law enforcement community in the U.S. had to incorporate models of leadership and develop standards that show accountability, ethics, integrity, professionalism, and trust. Transactional leadership is a model that has been adopted by many law enforcement agencies in recent decades. Under the transactional leadership model, officers have limited power in making their own decisions, and usually have to go through their supervisors for approval. This can be attributed to the paramilitary structured organization that many departments exhibit. Due to the critical situations that officers often find themselves in, this can be a risky model for departments to implement. This model also takes away from the power that officers have in regards to