Leadership as a Police Officer

What is leadership?

Leadership refers to how organizational workers facilitate their achievement by getting influenced to fully utilize their potential to enhance the achievement of the police department’s mission. A police leader takes the initiative to use the approaches that work to commit to the organization’s goals while considering the unique skills in each employee’s possession. Police work is dynamic and high-risk nature of work, making it essential for police leaders to find their ways through dangerous situations. Leadership works to inspire the police officers providing them with more opportunities to grow. 

What is the Mission/role/goal of a law enforcement agency?

Each law enforcement agency has a mission/goal/role that makes it unique from other agencies. A law enforcement agency’s mission is to ensure that the agency achieves its purpose and accomplishes the duties that become allocated to it (Shane, 2010). An agency’s role refers to the agency’s functions, and such roles must work as a reflection of the organization’s mission. A law enforcement agency attains its goal through the achievements that it makes through its efforts. The specific mission of police officers is to combat auto theft by 50% by the use of C.A.T in sector 1. The police officers have a role in protecting and serving (Weisburd et al., 2009) The citizens they represent through law enforcement measures include detecting and preventing crimes and arresting the individuals who go against the law. In addition to citizen protection, the police officers have the right to limit the rights of individuals who are criminal suspects through detention and investigations, among other procedures. The police must have a legal justification to restrict the rights of a criminal suspect. Another role of the police is to provide essential social services and help individuals who need help among services. Law enforcement agencies work toward the goal of enhancing public safety. They have a role in investigating illegal behavior by observing people, places, and vehicles through surveillance. 

What are the responsibilities of a police leader?

Police leaders are entrusted with a variety of responsibilities. They must ensure that the police agency’s mission is fulfilled by ensuring that they fulfill the duty to perform. They must ensure that they achieve the mission to combat half of the auto theft crimes in sector 1. This aspect means that the police leaders must enforce the law as this is the only way to achieve the mission. The police leader has another responsibility to enhance productive work as they help subordinates achieve their personal goals (Schafer et al., 2011) . They must ensure that they provide the subordinates with the required resources and do frequent assessments to determine the performance of the roles allocated to the subordinates. Motivating the staff members by recognizing their efforts is essential in helping them achieve their goals.

Additionally, the police leaders must ensure that they provide a conducive working environment as this works as a motivational factor for the subordinates to put their best effort into work. It is also essential for leaders to detect each employee’s skills, abilities, and areas of interest (Apollo et al., 1991) . This is a way to help the subordinates develop in their areas of interest or advance their qualifications in achieving their personal goals. Police leaders have an additional role in producing impact. They must ensure that they enhance positive attributes at their workplace and the general populations they serve. Creating an impact means that they should touch eh lives of any individual they come across in their line of duty. They should ensure that they help their subordinates expand their skills and provide the general population’s required services. 

What are the factors that influence police managers’ responsibilities?

Police managers have the responsibility to ensure that they provide the required services to the public (Butterfield et al., 2005) . The four factors that influence the policy manager’s responsibilities include their leadership style, the preferences of the communities they serve, the available resources, and the selection process for chief of police. The authoritative leadership style can influence the police manager’s responsibilities in that it gives them a military-like approach that is effective when giving orders (Dinham, 2007). Police managers’ responsibility to ensure that the subordinates abide by the orders within the police department and become authoritative could help the managers achieve this goal. The authoritative leadership style gives the managers a chance to exert full control over the team members. They are only required to obey orders without providing feedback or offering their ideas. The transactional police leadership style influences the police manager’s responsibilities as it enables them to encourage their subordinates by motivating them (Sarver & Miller, 2014) . The police managers are responsible for encouraging the junior staff to achieve their goals and expand their skills. This leadership style enables the police managers to reward or punish the subordinates based on their performance and ensure that they adhere to them. Transformational leadership can influence the police manager’s responsibilities in that it helps them inspire and motivate the subordinate staff. Leaders who use this approach work as a team with the subordinates to commit to achieving the organizational goals. 

Preferences of the communities in which the police serve can as well influence their responsibilities. For instance, community policing is a practice that has gained momentum over the past few years and has changed how police managers delegate their duties. Police managers have the responsibility to be part of community programs, Certain communities that have embraced community policing would require for a police manager to be closer and work hand in hand with community members in enhancing their services (Peak & Glensor, 1999) . It is the responsibility of police managers to create good relationships with the individuals who live in the communities that they serve. 

The police manager’s selection process can influence their responsibilities as they have to undergo an interview and application process that determines their roles. The most qualified police managers are entrusted with more responsibilities than those with fewer qualifications who still require some more time to advance their skills. 

What is the relationship of leadership, power, authority?

The relationship between leadership, power, and authority grants the leadership to one individual depending on whether the selected person is willing to accept the leadership role. In most cases, the selective process of a leader is informal. A leader must demonstrate competence and be liked by the group members who entrust them with the position. Power can only be granted to the leader by the individuals they lead. In contrast, granting authority is a formal process that allows an individual to fulfill its goals. Those in power have the authority to make people perform specific roles. People in charge can ensure that things are done expectedly using personal or institutional force to ensure that people carry out the routine tasks. 

What is the research surrounding some leadership theories?

The primary research done on leadership theories includes identifying leadership styles in 1939, Ohio state leadership studies in 1945, the managerial grid in 1962, and Power/Achievement/Affiliation theory done in 1964. The leadership style theory involved Kurt Lewin, Ronald Lippitt, and Ralph White, who researched leadership within boys’ clubs. They identified three types of leaders; Authoritarian, Democratic, and Laissez-Faire leadership styles. Authoritarian leaders inflict direct control on their employees; democratic leaders advocated for participation in all leadership process dimensions, and Laissez-Faire is passive towards employees and wants to be liked. Ohio states Leadership studies conducted in 1957 initial structure and consideration as the two sizes in leadership behavior. The managerial grid study in 1962 identified the two dimensions that leaders are concerned with, which include the concern for results and the concern for employees. The power/achievement/affiliation leadership theory in 1964c identified the three most essential needs of leaders: the need for power, achievement, and affiliation. 

References

Apollo, B. J., Waldman, D. A., & Yammarino, F. J. (1991). Leading in the 1990s: The four I′ s of transformational leadership.  Journal of European industrial training .

Butterfield, R., Edwards, C., & Woodall, J. (2005). The new public management and managerial roles: The case of the police sergeant.  British Journal of Management ,  16 (4), 329-341.

Dinham, S. (2007). Authoritative leadership, action learning and student accomplishment.

Peak, K. J., & Glensor, R. W. (1999).  Community policing and problem solving: Strategies and practices . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Sarver, M. B., & Miller, H. (2014). Police chief leadership: styles and effectiveness.  Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management .

Schafer, J. A., Buerger, M. E., Myers, R. W., Jensen III, C. J., & Levin, B. H. (2011).  The future of policing: A practical guide for police managers and leaders . CRC Press.

Shane, J. M. (2010). Performance management in police agencies: a conceptual framework.  Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management .

Weisburd, D., Feucht, T., Hakimi, I., Mock, L., & Perry, S. (Eds.). (2009).  To protect and to serve: Policing in an age of terrorism . Springer Science & Business Media.