Utztown’s police department is in a sorry state. The department does not need superficial transformations. Instead, it requires complete change. It is, however, worth mentioning that not everyone is receptive to the idea of change. Therefore, as the new chief of police, I expect resistance from all quarters in my quest to make the police department disciplined and friendly to the residents of Utztown. In this light, I will adopt both authoritative and transformational leadership styles. I want to inspire positive changes while helping every member of the police department to adapt to the impending changes. As such, this proposal will address all the problems that are currently bedeviling Utztown’s police department and potential solutions.
It has come to my attention that hiring and retaining female officers has proven to be a difficult task due to the increased cases of sexual harassment in the police service. More so, harassment incidents among female police officers surpass those of male officers. Despite there being internal mechanisms that can be used to address cases of sexual harassment, there seems to be no effort to use the internal mechanisms. Most officers suffer in silence even when they are stressed out by sexual harassment cases. Moreover, sexual gossiping and joking hinder their work and productivity. What is more, no one is willing to speak out against cases of sexual harassment because they know that their identity will not be kept confidential and nothing will be done about the problem.
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To address the issue of sexual harassment in the police department, I propose that the department should establish a culture that does not tolerate sexual harassment and provides training and policies that encourage officers to report sexual harassment cases. I believe that apart from the general law enforcement policies that guide police work, Utztown’s police department should have internal policies or resolution mechanisms that can help us address indiscipline issues before they get out of hand (Brodeur, 2018). In this regard, I purpose to formulate a policy that will clearly define standards, reporting requirements and associated disciplinary actions. The policy will clearly define actions that are considered sexual harassment. Moreover, the policy will outline appropriate behaviors by the officers. Most importantly, the policy document will highlight the potential consequences for officers who engage in sexual harassment (Brodeur, 2018). Each officer will be required to read the document and demonstrate that they understand its contents. I will use my authoritative leadership skills to enforce the policies. I will also suspend officers who are unwilling to abide by the new directives.
The other issue that the police department is grappling with is that College-educated officers are not willing to work in the department due to the undisciplined environment. Educated police officers would wish to work in a police service that follows rules and is disciplined. They believe that their expertise can only apply in a disciplined and organized work environment. With the current situation at Utztown’s police department, I do not believe that we can attract college-educated officers. And if we happen to attract any, they are likely to resign in their first year of service.
To address this issue, I will start by reviewing the credentials of all the junior and senior police officers. I will then restructure the leadership of the police department. Any senior police officer who does not have leadership or management qualifications will be required to undergo additional training before resuming their leadership post (Gardiner, 2015). Moreover, the department will offer incentives to encourage officers to pursue higher education. In this case, I will use my transformational leadership skills to change the officers’ perspectives on matters discipline and organization.
Most of the officers call in sick and ask for annual leave at unbelievably higher levels due to bar hopping, weekend parties and moonlighting. For this reason, the available officers are overwhelmed with work in cases of emergencies. This should not be the case given that the officers are paid to maintain order. Repeated sick leave abuse and misuse not only makes policing work difficult but it denies the residents of Utztown of the much-needed help that they pay for as taxpayers. This problem can be addressed by establishing the main reasons behind the high number of sick leaves and annual leaves (Fekedulegn, et al., 2013). In this case, the officers are abusing the sick leave provision due to flimsy reasons.
I am not against granting the officers sick leave. However, now that I have established the reasons behind the officers’ abuse of sick leave, I will use my transformational leadership skills to change the officers’ behaviors. I will talk to each of the officers who abuse the sick leave provision to establish whether the problem stems from a personal problem. I will then recommend counseling for the officers. Moreover, I will not grant sick leave or annual leave to officers who provide ridiculous requests for sick leave (Fekedulegn, et al., 2013). Additionally, I will give more consideration to line of duty illnesses than to illnesses that are not related to police work. I believe that a liberal sick leave policy will ensure that the police officers are taken care of when sick and they are also disciplined when they use the sick leave as an excuse to attend to their issues (Fekedulegn, et al., 2013).
Officers have freedom of speech. However, when they purport to represent the Utztown’s police department when talking in public forums without the approval of the chief of police, they are likely to misrepresent facts and to hurt the department’s reputation. I am aware that the first amendment protects freedom of speech (Brocklin, 2018). Therefore, police officers are at liberty to exercise their freedom. However, as police officers, we are sworn to secrecy. We work in dangerous environments that require us to keep some secrets from the public. As such, when a police officer decides to blubber about the contents of an ongoing case, they not only endanger their lives and those of their fellow officers but they also hurt the profession. For this reason, all the officers will be required to undergo mandatory training on protected speech. More so, they will be educated about their internet rights, responsibilities and liabilities (Brocklin, 2018). I will also form a communications team that will be responsible for all communications. Officers should be at liberty to seek advice from the team before they post anything that regards police work on social media.
The entire police department routinely fails to recognize and follow the mandates of many required federal policies such as FMLA, ADA and pregnancy discrimination. As such, chances of the department being disbanded or being placed under investigation is increasing by the day. To reverse this trend, I will review all the required federal policies and ensure that they are followed to the letter. For instance, in as far as the Americans with Disabilities Act is concerned, I will ensure that all disabled officers receive the same treatment as the able-bodied officers (National Network, 2020). In the same vein, I will hire additional female officers as well as disabled officers. Additionally, I will ensure that all pregnant officers receive all the benefits that come with pregnancy. I believe that by abiding by federal policies, we will be leading by example.
The other problem that is rearing its head in the Utztown’s police department is racial tension. It is unacceptable for a city that has 30 percent of blacks to be represented by 4 percent of black officers. The low morale among black police officers is due to underrepresentation and the constant accusations leveled against the black community. By associating the black officers with increased crime rates, the white officers are creating tension between the two races. What is more, due to police brutality meted against black residents by the white officers, the black residents have lost trust in the police department. This problem requires a multifaceted approach. On the one hand, I will push for the recruitment of more black officers. I will then hold a series of meetings with both the white and black officers and tell them about my zero-tolerance policy towards racial discrimination (Hutchinson, 2020). Any officer who engages in racial discrimination will be disciplined and potentially dismissed from service. Moreover, the white officers will be required to abide by the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which was meant to address the issue of white supremacy. On the other hand, I will engage the local community in an attempt to establish a cordial working relationship between the officers and members of the Utztown community.
In a nutshell, Utztown’s police department has a myriad of problems that require a quick fix. I have established that the main problem that has given rise to other problems is lack of discipline. The officers are used to leadership that looks the other way whenever they do wrong. With my installment as the new chief of police, I am determined to transform the Utztown’s police department into a respectable department that respects the rule of law and serves all the residents without discrimination. My proposes will stem from the increased cases of sexual harassment, officer indiscipline, abuse of sick leave and failure to comply with federal policies.
References
Brocklin, V. V. (2018, May 2). Why 'free speech' keeps costing cops their careers . Retrieved from Policeone.com: https://www.policeone.com/first-amendment/articles/why-free-speech-keeps-costing-cops-their-careers-JXpPUN7QaomN3JKy/
Brodeur, V. (2018). Female Law Enforcement Officers Experiences of Workplace Harrasment . California: California State University.
Fekedulegn, D., Burchfiel, C. M., Hartley, T. A., Andrew, M. E., Charles, L. E., Tinney-Zara, C. A., & Violanti, J. M. (2013). Shiftwork and Sickness Absence Among Police Officers: The BCOPS Study. Chronobiol Int, 30 (7), 930-941. doi:10.3109/07420528.2013.790043
Gardiner, C. (2015). College cops: a study of education and policing in California. Policing: An International Journal, 38 (4), 648-663. doi:10.1108/PIJPSM-02-2015-0015
Hutchinson, B. (2020, January 30). National black law enforcement group slams alleged racism in St. Louis police department . Retrieved from ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/national-black-law-enforcement-group-slams-alleged-racism/story?id=68611060
National Network. (2020). What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? Retrieved from National Network: https://adata.org/learn-about-ada
