Leading the Small Police Department.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Garner, Gerald W.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Police administration.

Police--Supervision of.

Police.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (265 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Springfield, IL : Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Limited, 2023.

Summary:

Almost 90 percent of the police departments in the United States employ 25 officers or fewer. Many agencies are staffed by fewer than ten peacekeepers. The leaders of these small departments face some of the same challenges as do the bosses of larger departments, but they encounter many additional problems, as well, and they labor in a somewhat different environment. Much has been written to assist the CEO of the larger department. Much less effort has been devoted to aiding the smaller agency chief in navigating the operational, personnel, and political landscape to be found in the smaller community, to name but one of the challenges. This book is intended to fill that knowledge gap. The author is a 52-year veteran of law enforcement who has served as a successful police chief in cities of 8,000, 23,000, and over 100,000 citizens. The book is a compilation of real-world experience and lessons learned, bolstered by the observations of many other police chiefs. Its goal is to assist the small agency chief in building and maintaining an exceptional police department. It is additionally designed to assist the leader in enjoying a successful and rewarding career for as long as he or she chooses to be employed there. This is not a book about leadership or management theory. Rather, it is a handbook focused upon providing practical, time-proven advice for handling the small department chief's daily fare of challenges and opportunities. It will prove equally useful to the leader of a larger police department, but the focus will remain on the small agency boss.

Contents:

Intro

LEADING THE SMALL POLICE DEPARTMENT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 THE NEW CHIEF

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

DETERMINE WHY YOU WERE CHOSEN

ASSESS THE ORGANIZATION

MEET YOUR PEOPLE

MAKE THE IMPORTANT CONTACTS

CONNECT WITH YOUR BOSS

CHECK OUT THE CRITICAL AREAS

DEAL QUICKLY WITH SERIOUS ISSUES

SEEK SOME EARLY VICTORIES

SUMMARY

Chapter 2 SPECIAL CHALLENGES FOR THE SMALL DEPARTMENT CHIEF

ATTRACTING AND RETAINING EXCEPTIONAL EMPLOYEES

SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES

OBTAINING NEEDED TRAINING

"SMALL TOWN POLITICS"

INACCURATE PERCEPTIONS

Chapter 3 YOUR ROLE AS A LEADER

SHOW PRIDE IN YOUR PEOPLE AND YOUR ORGANIZATION

ESTABLISH YOUR GOALS AND COMMUNICATE THEM

REALIZE MAJOR CHANGE TAKES TIME

SHARE THE INFORMATION AND PRAISE

ENSURE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THE MISSION

SEEK OUT GOOD IDEAS

BE SEEN AND HEARD WHEN APPROPRIATE

DON'T CRITICIZE PUBLICLY

NEVER FORGET YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Chapter 4 DECISION-MAKING: DOING IT RIGHT EVEN WHEN IT'S HARD

ENEMIES OF SOUND DECISION-MAKING

MAKING A GOOD DECISION

WHEN THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE AN ANSWER

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

Chapter 5 YOU AS A GREAT ROLE MODEL

WHAT IS A ROLE MODEL?

WHAT TRAITS DO YOU WANT YOUR PEOPLE TO DISPLAY?

YOU ARE NEVER INVISIBLE

NEVER CHEAT ON THE RULES

DON'T FORGET HOW TO WORK THE STREET

ADMIT IT WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE WRONG

LOOK AND SOUND LIKE WHAT YOU WANT YOUR PEOPLE TO COPY

Chapter 6 BUILDING A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PEOPLE

YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM IS KEY

GET TO KNOW YOUR PEOPLE

SUPPORT YOUR PEOPLE BUT DON'T PANDER

WATCH YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT "CHANGING THE CULTURE"

STAY OUT FRONT DURING TROUBLED TIMES.

NEVER MAKE YOURSELF INACCESSIBLE

YOUR PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS THE BEST

LITTLE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT

Chapter 7 HOW TO WORK FOR SOMEONE

WHAT YOU OWE YOUR BOSS

WHAT YOUR BOSS OWES YOU

THE RELATIONSHIP YOU ARE SEEKING

ALL KINDS OF BOSSES

SURVIVING THE "DIFFICULT" BOSS

DETERMINE WHAT YOUR BOSS KNOWS ABOUT POLICING

Chapter 8 YOUR ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY

STAY INVOLVED

ADVOCATE FOR YOUR VERSION OF COMMUNITY-ORIENTED POLICING

REMAIN VISIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE

STRIVE FOR OPENNESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

SPEAK UP FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE, BUT LISTEN

NEVER BECOME COMPLACENT

Chapter 9 DOING DISCIPLINE RIGHT

SELF-DISCIPLINE IS BEST

WHY DO IT?

MISTAKES OF THE HEAD VS. MISTAKES OF THE HEART

WHAT EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE REQUIRES

THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF DISCIPLINE

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Chapter 10 YOU WEAR A LOT OF HATS

PATROL

INVESTIGATIONS

SUPPORT SERVICES

CARING FOR YOUR CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

Chapter 11 YOUR OFFICERS' WELFARE IS PRIORITY ONE

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS?

PREVENTING OFFICER INJURIES AND DEATHS

YOUR ROLE AS RISK MANAGER

DON'T OVERLOOK YOUR PEOPLES' MENTAL HEALTH

YOU AS AN ADVOCATE FOR OFFICER SURVIVAL

YOUR TASK AS A ROLE MODEL FOR OFFICER SAFETY

Chapter 12 WORKING SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE NEWS MEDIA

YOU NEED EACH OTHER

YOUR PERSONAL RULES FOR MEDIA RELATIONS

ESTABLISHING A WORKABLE MEDIA RELATIONS POLICY

GIVING A SUCCESSFUL MEDIA INTERVIEW

CREATING AN EFFECTIVE NEWS RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE

CHUPACABRA POLICE ANNOUNCE COFFEE WITH A COP EVENT

PUTTING ON A NEWS CONFERENCE

DON'T OVERLOOK THE SOCIAL MEDIA

THE PUBLIC INFORMATION FUNCTION

Chapter 13 WHEN BAD "STUFF" HAPPENS.

YOUR ROLE WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

KEEP EVERYONE IN THE KNOW

RECOVERING FROM A TRAGEDY

HANDLING ALLEGATIONS OF POLICE MISCONDUCT

ADVISEMENT FOR INTERNAL AFFAIRS OR ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW PURSUANT TO GARRITY

Chapter 14 COMMUNICATION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

ENEMIES OF GOOD COMMUNICATION

HOW TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

PUTTING IT IN WRITING

YOU CAN'T BEAT THE SPOKEN WORD

Chapter 15 EVALUATING AND REPAIRING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

IS PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL NECESSARY?

WHAT ARE YOU EVALUATING?

PREPARING AN ACCURATE AND BENEFICIAL PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

THE SIT-DOWN SESSION

YOUR ROLE AS A COUNSELOR

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Chapter 16 HANDLING CRITICAL INCIDENTS

WHAT IS A "CRITICAL INCIDENT"?

YOUR ROLE AS THE LEADER

TACTICAL CHALLENGES

OTHER KINDS OF CRITICAL INCIDENTS

YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO IT ALONE

Chapter 17 YOUR LIFE IN A POLITICAL WORLD

CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY

LISTEN TO EVERYONE

DON'T BREAK YOUR RULES FOR ANYONE

NEVER MISTAKE APATHY FOR SUPPORT

Chapter 18 TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

GUARANTEED WAYS TO FAIL

TAKING CARE OF LIFE AND LOVED ONES

CONFIDANTS AND MENTORS

BE A LIFE-LONG LEARNER

THERE WILL BE DISAPPOINTMENTS

KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO

THERE'S LIFE AFTER YOUR JOB

INDEX.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Garner, Gerald W. Leading the Small Police Department

ISBN:

9780398094058