September 1991 POINT OF VIEW: MANAGING FOR EXCELLENCE By David A. King Chief of Police Perkasie, Pennsylvania, Police Department So much has been written on effective personnel management that very little is left to be said on the topic. However, law enforcement is such a unique field that specific methods for selecting, training, deploying, and managing police employees are essential in order for any department to be successful. Obviously, the police officer is the most visible and important component of a law enforcement agency. How well we use the personnel resources of our police associates will determine how positively the organization is perceived and how successfully we attain organizational goals. In the past, most agencies went to great lengths to attract and recruit highly motivated, educated individuals. But, once these individuals were in place, they were oftentimes discouraged, and in some instances, even punished for performing tasks outside the "standard" parameters. In doing so, we systematically eliminated innovative, creative thinking at the line level. THE COMMUNITY POLICING MODEL During the late 1970s, when police departments nationwide began facing severe budget constraints, we, as police managers, were forced to look for more effective methods in order to meet increasing demands for police services. Interestingly enough, one such method was increased cooperation between police officers and members of the community. This led to the creation of separate crime prevention and community service programs in nearly every police department in the country. At the time, most police administrators believed that additional contact with the public would serve not only to provide increased service to the citizens but also to enhance the police department's professional image. Crime prevention programs provided police departments with the opportunity to move closer to a positive proactive working relationship with the community. However, this practice eliminated systematically many police officers from the community service equation. The specialized service that "crime prevention officers" now provided set them apart from their patrol division counterparts. Without even realizing it, we had created two distinct, and for the most part, separate law enforcement efforts--crime prevention and traditional police patrol services. Only recently did we realize that community-based policing must involve every component of the police organization--from administration to command, from investigative to uniformed patrol. All aspects of the police organization need to be joined in a concerted effort with the community to be effective. Community policing allows us to get back in touch with the citizens and find out how we can work together for the betterment of all. After all, who better to tell us what the real law enforcement problems are in our communities than the citizens we serve. And, it is these same citizens who can tell us how well we are meeting our commitment to address these problems. We cannot possibly determine how effective we are without listening to those who benefit, or suffer, from our efforts. Traditionally, beat cops took a personal interest in their service areas and were known to be astute at detecting, preventing, and suppressing criminal activity through their own innovative expertise. Today, the concept of community policing is merely an extension of that simple philosophy. THE POLICE OFFICER AS A MANAGEMENT RESOURCE As police executives, we have sometimes allowed ourselves to become too far removed from the operational aspects of effective law enforcement. In meeting the challenges of providing the department with long-range goal planning, we have sometimes become too concerned with the future and not as aware of the present as we should be. As police administrators, we need to sense the changes in our environments and adjust our methodology to meet those changes. The line police officers are probably one of the most overlooked management resources in any police agency. No one is more familiar with the environment in which they must operate than law enforcement patrol officers, and no one is more capable of making effective suggestions to meet the demands for their service. Therefore, we must rethink the philosophy that requires unquestioned conformity to departmental procedures and discourages individualism. Instead, we should consider the input of those on the forefront of the criminal activity battleground. Society demands no less. As administrators, we must empower our employees to make the kinds of decisions that can be effective for specific problems in the community in which they serve and in which the officer is looked to by the citizen to solve the problem. We need officers who work with and for the community. We need police officers as community organizers who can serve as catalysts for positive action in the crime detection, suppression, and prevention. We need personnel who view members of the public as concerned, supportive, proactive assistants in the law enforcement function. Without an understanding, supportive community, the job of effective policing becomes increasingly more difficult. And, many officers have for too long viewed the general citizenry as more of a nuisance than as an effective tool that could assist them in being a more-efficient agent against criminal activity. SUMMARY Community policing empowers officers to make a real difference. Police administrators need to become supportive of officers in their ranks who can and will serve the community policing model, provided that they are allowed to make practical decisions that use creative and effective resources. As police administrators, we go to great lengths to find the best personnel available to meet the difficult challenges of law enforcement. We must allow them to use those skills and abilities that not only make them good police officers but also allow them to become more-effective public servants. Administrators have the ability to give patrol officers the support they will need in order to manage their individual community microcosms. By delegating responsibility, empowering, and giving commensurate authority to these officers, we will not only provide the essential components to successful applications of community policing philosophies but we will also become more successful in our search for management excellence. ______________ "Point of View" is a forum for law enforcement professionals to suggest recommendations to improve police work. Submissions for this feature should be typed, double spaced, and forwarded to Editor, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Room 7262, 10th & Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20535.