Introduction
Police leadership uses standardization and procedure as a way to create consistency and predict¬ability in law enforcement operations (Batts, Smoot, & Scrivner, 2012). The San Diego Police Department, like nearly all law enforcement agencies uses leadership models mimicking the United States military. Paramilitary organizations use highly structured framing to conduct business operations. The structural frame creates compartmentalized specialization, and predictable, uniform task performance desired by police executives. The tightly designed rank-and-file structure delineates locus power and control based on position (Bolman & Deal, 1991). Power rests at the top. Contained with this structure is top-down control of personnel, resources, and division of labor. The law enforcement organization codifies and outlines general guides of how to conduct business in a pre-determined fashion. The systemization rests on high direction and low task leadership models (Bolman & Deal, 1991). Is this model still the most efficient model of leadership for law enforcement agencies? Alternatively, the question is raised; can newer leadership models focusing on transformative leadership, and integrative leadership models where shared power, planning, distribution, and other work activities prove effective in structural law enforcement organizations?
Changing the law enforcement outlook is a difficult undertaking. Most modern agencies must adapt to the fluidity of modern law enforcement context to the onset of increased mobility, technology, and sophistication (Batts, Smoot, & Scrivner, 2012). These force necessitate that law enforcement consistently strive to be on the cutting edge in order to stay ahead of crime. Taking a bottom up a...
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For the purpose of this paper, the Houston Police Department’s organizational structure will be used to illustrate the chain of command. The jail operations are designated to Strategic Operations as you can see from the diagram below, and it is overseen by the executive assistant chief, assistant chief and captain. The captain over jail operations is responsible for all three shifts at the city jail, and he assigns three lieutenants to supervise each shift (days, evenings, and nights). Within Houston’s jail facility, there are both classified officers and civilians performing various assignments and tasks. The immediate concern that was brought to attention pertains to a sexual misconduct allegation from a female inmate against a correctional
In an area of work such as law enforcement relationships built upon trust and reciprocity go a long way in helping both leaders and followers. Not only will Detective Doe’s relationships and personal growth benefit but it has been proven that his group’s cohesion and participation will also be improved by the development of strong leader-follower relationships (Naidoo et al. 2011, Sparrowe et al. 2006). Regarding this it is also important that Detective Doe is careful regarding the use of transactional leadership, specifically related to extrinsic rewards. It is clearly extremely difficult to be solely one and also be a good leader since a balance transformational leadership and transactional leadership make a strong leader (Judge & Piccolo 2004). It is absolutely necessary though to try and keep rewards intrinsic and keep people motivated by their self-satisfaction than extrinsic compensation. If too many extrinsic rewards are offered as compensation than many people may lose their initial interests and reasons for entering the field of law enforcement (Deci
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Toxic leadership, likely found in all agencies at some point, and the general awareness of toxic leaders with whom individual officers have worked, makes this a real problem for law enforcement agencies. Knowing the root and cause of this type of leadership helps develop understanding on the part of those that can effect a change in leadership within an agency. Comprehending the methods by which such environments develop and their negative impact on the agency as a whole - via individual officers’ experiences, opens the doors on hidden collusion that destroy morale.
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The leadership approaches of David Harman and Frank Viturello, have greatly affected their organization as a whole as they lead and demonstrate by example. Chief Harman and Viturello are both strong advocates of organizational leadership. What made these men stood out is their exceptional working relationship and partnership with each other regarding leadership and problem solving (Haberfeld, 2013). Both chiefs’ came from different ethnic backgrounds and experienced discrimination early in their careers and wanted to make a difference with new generations of police officers. The Chiefs’ had powerful envisions of innovative changes within their organization, and had revamped the recruitment policy in order to create ethnic diversification (Haberfeld, 2013). A criminal justice manager must select a style of leadership that will accomplish his or her mission, and most importantly, selecting a style of management that will attract qualified Asian-American applicants towards a career in law enforcement (Shusta et al.,
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James M. Hart (1996) states in order to comprehend and elucidate the process of change within a law enforcement organization, it is essential to cogitate not only people responses to change, but the systematic organizational purp...
All organizations, especially law enforcement agencies, require leadership. Maintaining a dependable leadership structure is key to the success of any organization. The philosophy of the modern style of police leadership involves a leader who is strong, competitive and unreceptive to change. Police leadership is based from an autocratic style which is founded on integrity and courage, embracing teamwork, involvement and shared leadership (Cordner & Scarborough, 2010). This style of leadership works well in an emergency situation in which rapid decision making and strict control is needed. The negative aspect to this style of leadership is the inability of the organization to function with the absence of leadership.
It is necessary for different ranking levels to resolve issues. For example, the “Chief” of an organization does not always have time to answer all of the little questions or deal with every issue. When there is a chain of command, the lower level employees can utilize the chain of command to help resolve issues in a timely manner. Without this structure, employees would “flood” the “chief” with all of the issues, and the supervisors will be kept out of the loop of what’s going on. Nevertheless, I believe the paramilitary structure will work in policing for the reasons, information flows up the chain of command from the street officer to the police administration and orders and commands flow down the chain to the street officer. The chain of command and the paramilitary structure have been retained, regardless to the complexity of the police bureaucracy. Therefore, no matter how defined the hierarchy is or how flat the structure is, the goal was to be more consistent with community-oriented policing (Travis,
As Lopez and Ensari (2014) claim “… autocratic leadership style is more associated with the military, and seen as old-fashioned” (p. 20). As society continues to evolve, expand, and question the interactions law enforcement professionals have with their communities the old fashioned autocratic leadership style is no longer effective. Government agencies are now reevaluating the way in which they operate within changing societal standards, and leaders within these agencies must evolve and change to accommodate their followers, the agency changes, and the communities they
All roles within local, state, and federal agencies provide what we have made of law enforcement today. The levels within the department are effective in the support of their own and effective uses of personnel. Departments are further finding ways to operate more effectively and make the funding of their departments go further. The different roles and training that go into the officers and the multiple forms of patrolling is a time honored tradition that has adapted over time and offered a safer approach to apprehending today’s criminal.
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