Supervising Police Personnel, Fifth Edition

From the Back Cover
Proven programs and practices for supervising and leading police employees. This, the fifth edition, is... Specifically designed for the existing or prospective supervisor in a police agency. Ideally suited far college and academy courses devoted to police supervision and human relations. Emphasizing team fundamentals such as values, ethics and vision. Taking a fresh look at the interplay of human communications, trust, empowerment and team leadership. Providing an important emphasis on teamwork and team development intending to motivate and empower one's staff. Continuing its commonsense approach to handling problem police employees. Being a police supervisor is much more than having mare pay, more authority, more influence, and more status. All of the above and much more are compacted into a highly readable and definitely useful set of 15 supervisory responsibilities. Combined, they offer keys for you to become both police supervisor and police leaders.

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A couple of years ago, the acclaimed secular ethicist Michael Josephson wrote: "I just attended a moving graduation ceremony marking the transition of 40 men and women from police academy cadets to sworn officers in the Long Beach Police Department (California). "At the beginning, the officers were fully uniformed, but they had no badges, and without the badges their uniforms were undistinguished. Yet once their shields were affixed, the uniforms and the people in them were transformed. "So I began to think about the badge not only as an official symbol of authority and responsibility, but also as a symbol of honor-a symbol we should look up to and they must live up to. Although the badges were highly polished, experience teaches us that it will take vigilance and integrity to keep them untarnished. "Looking at the very serious faces of Class #77, one could see both determination and pride as they officially accepted the huge responsibilities of a hugely important job captured in the Code of Ethics printed on their program. " 'My fundamental duty', the Code begins, 'is to serve mankind, to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence and disorder; and to respect the Constitutional Rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.' It concludes, 'I recognize the badge of my office is a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust.' "Sure, most officers spend most of their time involved in important but unheroic activities like investigations, traffic regulation and crowd control, but they stand at the ready to put themselves in danger at a moment's notice and after the experience of September 11, I fear we don't appreciate them enough." This book is committed to helping those individuals who are responsible for making this "code" a reality, as opposed to lofty, politically correct but shallow verbiage. The responsible person I'm referring to is the police supervisor. You will find that to fulfill this vital role, one's character not merely counts, but counts big-time. You'll be asking yourself, "What do I, or should I, stand for as a supervisor-as a leader?" You'll also find that you are responsible for assuring that 15 RESPONSIBILIITES are being pursued by you and those who work for you. X1 Being responsible (the "R" word) means exercising self-discipline and self-restraint. It means doing your very best and being self-reliant and accountable for the consequences of your decisions. Team Fundamentals provides the infrastructure for contemporary police work-community—oriented policing. These chapters deal with character and integrity of purpose—values, ethics, and vision—and with the allocation of the requisite time to communicate all three. (The chapters on ethics and vision contain a lot of new material.) Team Development starts with a supervisor's responsibility for serving as a team leader. This naturally encompasses motivating, empowering, and training one's staff, while ensuring that everyone is mentally and physically well. Teamwork includes organizing for action, measuring performance of that action, resolving conflicts, and making certain that community-oriented policing works. I am convinced that it takes teamwork to make it work. Finally, the supervisor-as-leader is challenged to anticipate incoming demands or needs for change. Being a police supervisor is much more than having more pay, more authority, more influence, more status, and the like. It is much more. It is a set of core responsibilities that you will soon encounter and consider in the chapters that follow. My warmest thanks to Kim Davies, Senior Editor, Prentice Hall, who coached and inspired me during the writing of this edition; and especially Pat David and Rosie O'Shea, who expertly manicured and critically edited the manuscript. Paul Whisenand, Ph.D. San Clemente, California


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Being a police supervisor is much more than having mare pay, more authority, more influence, and more status. All of the above and much more are compacted into a highly readable and definitely useful set of 15 supervisory responsibilities. Combined, they offer keys for you to become both police supervisor and police leaders.


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