May 1991 HONOLULU'S STRIPES: TRAINING FOR SERGEANTS By Robert D. Prasser Captain Honolulu, Hawaii, Police Department In today's legal climate, it is imperative that police sergeants be prepared not only to face the challenges of crime in their districts but also to manage their personnel more effectively. All too often, newly promoted sergeants receive only an orientation and a review of departmental regulations before they are placed in their new assignments to either "sink or swim." (1) In police departments throughout the country, this is often wryly referred to as "Holy Ghost" training--somehow they will get the job done with minimum damage to the department and few lawsuits. While not discounting divine intervention, the Honolulu, Hawaii, Police Department realized that recently appointed sergeants require additional training to rise to an increased level of professionalism, in view of today's ever-litigious society. Department officials recognized that sergeants on today's police forces need basic skills in management and supervision, counseling, public relations, and other areas that were previously delegated to mid-level managers and above. (2) With these issues in mind, they developed a new training program for sergeants. This article discusses how that training program--STRIPES (Supervisory Training Regimen In the Preparation and Education of Sergeants)--was developed and implemented. TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT The first step in developing the new program was to form a committee of top supervisors and managers from various divisions within the department to assess the needs of a sergeant training program. This committee had a "blank slate" to plan a program that would produce highly trained sergeants, who were recently promoted to that rank, and eliminate those officers who were ill-suited for the position. After reviewing the existing sergeants training program, committee members devised a survey to determine current training needs. This survey, which was sent to all executive and mid-management personnel, requested feedback on potential topics to be included in the program, as well as any other relevant comments or ideas. The committee members then formulated recommendations and goals, developed specific class titles and practical exercise concepts, and estimated the number of hours needed for each area of training. In their recommendations to the chief, the committee proposed that the new program: * Provide basic information and develop skills needed by sergeants to become effective supervisors * Demonstrate a commitment by the department to this type of training * Require a serious commitment from the trainees The committee also recommended that the number of sergeants promoted at any one time be kept to a manageable number. Although some of the available classrooms seat 60 officers, the committee recommended that, for learning purposes, classes be limited to 30 officers. THE STRIPES PROGRAM The STRIPES Program lasts approximately 20 days and includes a variety of training tools that both challenge and stimulate the trainees, including classroom instruction and lectures, mock scenarios, and written examinations. In order to make the program as professional as possible, instructors from within the department who are expert in particular fields augment the existing training staff. STRIPES is significantly different from the previous training program. The STRIPES curriculum includes eight areas of concentration. Officers are graded on a pass/fail basis, with a penalty of demotion for failing the program. This system not only motivates the officers to learn but also identifies those officers who should be removed from the program because they have not mastered fundamental supervisory skills. The program is designed to help sergeants succeed. There are two comprehensive exams given throughout the training that provide a foundation for each officer's evaluation. However, in addition to the exams, performance during practical exercises is also considered. The decision to pass or fail officers is based on their overall performance. In the past, most sergeant training was done in the classroom. However, because police officers tend to be practical, task-oriented individuals who need more than classroom lectures to keep their interest, practical exercises, such as mock scenarios, were incorporated into the STRIPES Program. MOCK SCENARIOS Mock scenarios are highly structured exercises that expose the officers to a variety of difficult situations that require them to use their acquired skills and knowledge, as well as their experience, in order to resolve the incident successfully. For example, in one mock scenario, sergeants are required to manage their personnel and resources at a difficult crime scene, such as a felony assault with arrests at a crowded bar. Participants in the scenario are given specific instructions on how to perform, and the sergeant trainees must quickly develop an understanding of how to deal with difficult people, including witnesses, the media, and even department personnel. Other mock scenarios might include counseling an employee for chronic absenteeism, marginal performance, or substance abuse, or handling an internal affairs investigation that deals with citizen complaints. Mock scenarios are also used to complement classroom lectures. For example, in conjunction with the classroom lecture on disciplinary procedures, officers conduct a mock internal investigation that requires a considerable time commitment, possibly even some of the officers' off-duty time. This exercise is extremely valuable to newly promoted sergeants because it allows them to assemble a complex, often-litigated report before they are required to complete such an investigation in the field. All mock scenarios take place in a realistic setting in a mock crime scene building. A panel of evaluators with expertise in various areas, such as homicide or internal affairs investigations, observes the scenarios behind one-way glass. The exercises are graded, and the results are placed in each officer's portfolio for feedback and documentation purposes. Every effort has been made to make the STRIPES Program as complete and effective as possible. However, important to every program is an evaluation phase that provides valuable feedback from its participants. PROGRAM EVALUATION To determine whether the goals of the training program are being met, the training staff developed an extensive evaluation form to be completed by the sergeants in the STRIPES Program. This 16-page evaluation form lists each course in the curriculum, with a separate evaluation for each instructor. This allows the training staff to isolate problems with either courses or instructors and also allows them to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the program. The evaluation form is given to the sergeants at the beginning of the training so they can record their comments and ideas as the course progresses. This way, sergeants have adequate time to make written comments while their assessments of both the course content and instructors are fresh. Because they are not under time constraints to complete the evaluations, they are more likely to give specific written suggestions and comments for improvement. To supplement the evaluation of the newly promoted sergeants, the training staff, after each graduating class, also conducts a self-critique concerning the effectiveness of the program. The staff uses the sergeants' evaluations to generate discussion, and unsolicited suggestions and comments from the various field commanders are also discussed at this time. PROGRAM REVISIONS In order to keep the program both dynamic and credible, all courses are subject to change, deletion, or modification when feedback indicates that a change is needed. This was the case when the field training phase was removed from the program. Initially, the STRIPES Program included field training in both patrol and desk assignments. This phase of the training allowed newly promoted sergeants to train alongside experienced ones in order to gain valuable insights and training in their new positions. In theory, this concept was fine. However, feedback indicated that the actual practice was falling far short of the concept. To begin, the time allocated to desk and field training was too limited to allow the sergeants to gain any real insight into their new positions. In addition, it was impossible, in such a short time span, for the sergeants to develop any kind of supervisory rapport with the officers temporarily working for them. Another problem that surfaced in the field training phase was the diversity of assignments that sergeants have after completing the program. In the Honolulu Police Department, the rank of sergeant is the same as detective. Therefore, newly promoted sergeants are assigned to either field sergeant or detective slots. To further complicate the issue, these sergeants or detectives are assigned to a number of different positions, such as desk or field assignments, patrol or administrative assignments, and uniform or plainclothes assignments. Evaluations and critiques of both sergeants and their counterparts in the field indicated that the field training was too generic and too short to be of real value. Therefore, this phase of the training was eliminated. Instead, sergeants now receive on-the-job training in their specific assignments. Feedback from the evaluation phases of each class has resulted in other changes being made to the program. The STRIPES curriculum has also undergone several revisions since the training committee made its initial recommendations to the chief. The courses originally recommended by the training committee formed the curriculum for the first STRIPES class. The initial curriculum included over 180 hours of training. With each subsequent class, however, the feedback from both the sergeants and the training staff has resulted in curriculum changes, in an attempt to meet the needs of both the trainees and the department. The current STRIPES curriculum includes 136 hours of training. Many of the courses now offered are a direct result of the feedback received from previous classes. Other courses are the result of recommendations made by the training staff, as well as those made by officers in the field. CONCLUSION The STRIPES Program meets the initial training goals of the Honolulu Police Department. To date, no sergeants have failed to complete the training. Department officials believe that the pass/fail format of the training has contributed greatly to the success of the program in that it forces the sergeant to meet the standards of the department or face the possibility of demotion. Other than in recruit training, most departments continue to hold inservice classes without establishing a measurable standard to determine the training's effectiveness. The STRIPES Program eliminates this problem by using graded exercises and exams. In all probability, a newly promoted sergeant will, at some point, fail to complete the training and be demoted to officer status again. (3) When this happens, there will be the potential for a legal challenge to the department. However, if officers are retained at ranks for which they are unqualified, everyone suffers. (4) It calls into question the competence and integrity of the department as a whole. This, in turn, lowers morale within the department and diminishes community confidence and trust in the police. The curriculum of the STRIPES Program will inevitably go through further revisions, changes, and improvements. By remaining flexible, however, and continually updating the curriculum as the need arises, the primary goal will be met--to prepare newly promoted sergeants for the challenges that await them. FOOTNOTES (1) K. Culbertson and M. Thompson, "An Analysis of Supervisory Training Needs," Training and Development Journal, February 1980, p. 62. (2) Doug Goodgame, "Training Priorities for First Line Supervisors in Municipal Law Enforcement: A Contrast of Opinion," Journal of Police Science and Administration, vol. 6, No.2, June 1978, p. 2. (3) Thomas Paglia, "Field Training for Supervisors--The Next Step," Field Training Quarterly, Fourth Quarter 1987, p. 10. (4) William J. Bopp, Police Personnel Administration, 2d. ed. (Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1980), p. 135.