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Part 1: (1

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Part 1: (1.25 pages)

 

Provide a detailed synthesis (4-5 paragraphs) of the information provided within the instructional materials and reading assignments associated with this unit. Essentially, I am interested in reviewing the notes you took during the lecture and the reading assignment. The submission should provide a comprehensive overview and personal synthesis of the information contained within each instructional element and a specific articulation of your understanding of the theories, concepts, and applications presented during the week. Feel free to elaborate, but the goal is for you to communicate to me and the rest of the class, your level of subject familiarity and understanding about the issues and concepts presented within the instructional materials.

 

Part 2: ( reply to discussion post in 3 sentences)

 

It is critical that there is some sort of understanding of the mission and organization of the Police Organization.  This week there is a focus on ranks, positions and leadership.  One main focus is the position of Chief. Policing is constantly changing and so is the job of police chief (Module 6: Section I).  Of course the position of Police Chief is a leadership role which requires leadership characteristics.  As with many high ranking positions there has always been a gender issue/struggle.  There was a point in time where a male officer candidate for Chief required High School completion only while a female officer candidate for Chief required a college degree.  Obviously women leadership was a struggle.  There are no books or schools on how to be a Police Chief, however according to Behan, a police chief should have a library and that library should include books on education, psychology, history, and management (Module 6: Section II).

             The Police Organization is a learning one.  According to Peter Senge, there are seven organizational learning disabilities.  Being Police Chief cannot be taught.  There are no manuals or textbooks that tell one how to excel at this position.  It is thought that one must learn from experience.  According to Senge, the most powerful learning comes from direct experience (Module 6: Section 6). 

             Police Organizational Structure has a primitive theory.  Building new theories is a fairly simple exercise: the hard part is constructing testable theories (Chapter 5, paragraph 2).  According to Chapter 5 from the reading, organizational structures are multi-dimensional, and though there is some level of basic agreement throughout the literature on the definition of structure, the conceptualization and operationalization of structure has historically been more problematic.  Organizational Structure basically has two control mechanisms.  I can honestly say this was a chapter full of very insightful information.  I must also admit it was challenging in understanding some of the lingo and concepts used. (Feel free to give more insight on the read.)

             If a person wants to start and operate a brand new Police Department it takes lots of work.  It is definitely like starting your own business but entails so much more.  There are so many checks and balances involved.  There are multiple steps involved in the process and must be well thought out in order to run a successful Police Department.   This guide is a must read and just like the role of being a Chief, this cannot be taught.  It must be started for the right reason and must most definitely involve the community.  All I’s must be dotted and T’s crossed.  According to George Kelling, if you get cops to care about what they’re doing, they’ll do it right.  Running a police department is a give and take order.  One must be able to listen to the questions and concerns of its citizens of the community.  One must also make sure the mission, administration, personnel, structure and overall department is on one accord and in compliance.  Awareness is another important factor of running a successful police department. 

 

Part 3: ( reply to discussion post in 3 sentences)

The most interesting part of this week’s reading for me was Module 6: So You Want to be Police Chief, because I feel like I related to this portion most. In the navy we have Chiefs, and it is a position of very high authority and looked upon as a great accomplishment. Chiefs in the navy are not necessarily police chiefs, but they hold similar responsibilities. A Chief is supposed to lead his sailors, but in a more administrative way and as a whole department. Too often though I have seen salty Chiefs become so complacent that they run the department into the ground, causing moral in sailors to drop drastically. This Module gave precise reasons why many chiefs fail, and I have witnessed each and every reason while serving.

            The Module presents Senge’s seven organizational learning disabilities which are"I am my position." "The enemy is out there." “The Illusion of Taking Charge.” “The Fixation of Events” “The Parable of the Boiled Frog” “The Delusion of Learning from Experience.” “The Myth of the Management Team.” I found all of these disabilities to be very interesting, but my biggest take away was that many Chiefs fall short of being a good leader due to the lack of listening and initiating proper change.

            Personally, the worst leaders I have ever worked for were what I called “Yes men”, because they agreed to and conceited to everything without any thought of how it affected the entire department. In a militarized setting you are taught to listen when told to do something without questioning the reason why. As a leader though, the question why should always be asked, because it is not smart to have your crew doing something that you yourself do not believe in. There is a quote “Work Smarter Not Harder”, and all too often I saw departments working “Harder” due to the lack of leadership caring enough to ask the question “Why?” for his younger ranking guys who did not have the ability to ask questions.

            I have also worked for “Know it All” Chiefs whom seem to think they have it all together, meanwhile their entire department is falling apart. Being promoted to Chief is a high honor, but it does not make someone best at everything. A good leader should be open to recommendations and advice from his or her peers, because someone may just have a more efficient way of getting something done. There will always be someone smarter then you or better then you at something, so listening can be very beneficial.

            I have worked for great Chiefs, and horrible Chiefs, but at the end of the day the job got done, it was just a matter of was the job done “Smarter or Harder”?