TRAINING
Are you ready for the critical shift?
Surround yourself with the best people you can find and delegate authority
Most police departments have an organization
table identifying the various ranks in their partic-
ular agency. Some of the more commonly used
ranks are: officer, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant,
captain, deputy chief, assistant chief and, finally,
chief of police. The administration of most po-
lice agencies is based on the traditional pyrami-
dal, quasi-military organization structure, which
JIM FORD contains the elements of a bureaucracy: special-
ized functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hi-
erarchy of authority. (Peak, 2004)
As a patrol officer, you have been waiting to become eligible
for the next sergeant’s test. You heard through the rumor mill
that one or two sergeants would be leaving on the first of the
year. (For the purposes of this scenario, you are in a non-civil
service community.)
Your agency has issued a memorandum outlining the pro-
motional process, which is indicated in your department’s
rules and regulations. You have purchased the required text-
books and have gone over hundreds of scenarios in your mind
— all the “what would you do if” questions. You have exhausted
all your vacation time, owed time, personal days and any other
time that you think you may have on the books to prepare for
this opportunity to advance in rank. The big day has arrived,
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84
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ OCTOBER 2018
and all the preparation and sacrifices have come to fruition.
The results have been publicized, and your rank is No. 1.
There are many thoughts going through your mind, includ-
ing that you will now become your peers’ supervisor. “How dif-
ferent will I be?” “How much of a change in me will there be as
a result of my being promoted?” “Will I still be one of the guys?”
You still are going to be in the trenches answering calls from
time to time, but your main role now is to be the patrol super-
visor. How will you handle the expectations that management
has of you, such as:
• interpreting the department policies, procedures, rules
and regulations and ensuring that officers follow them;
• initiating discipline when necessary;
• training officers when they are unskilled or need refreshers;
• conducting personnel evaluations;
• making assignments to ensure that the objectives of the
unit are met; and
• taking charge and leading by example.
The officers on your squad or platoon have expectations, in-
cluding:
• interpreting department policies, procedures, rules and
regulations to meet the needs of the officers;
• handling discipline actions informally rather than taking
direct action, especially for minor infractions;
• advocating for officers when they request vacation or other
time off;
• supporting officers when there is a conflict with citizens;
• assisting officers with securing better assignments and op-
portunities;
• being empathic and understanding that your officers need
to take breaks and sometimes to attend to personal mat-
ters. (Whisenand, P.)
These are not all of the expectations of management or of-
ficers, but I am sure you have a good idea of what is expected.
If you were respected as an officer before being promoted,
then the same should follow through to your promotion, un-
less you have completely changed your personality. Be yourself
— don’t transform into someone you’re not. On the other hand,
you are not in the same position as you were before being pro-
moted. Now, you have additional duties and will be delegating
more and supervising. The rank and file who were with you be-
fore the promotion should still be with you and recognize that
you have more responsibility. You have to answer both to the
administration and the rank and file whom you supervise.
My advice to you newly promoted supervisors is simple: lead
by example, and remember where you came from. d
Dr. Jim Ford retired from the Chatham Township Police De-
partment, where he was a member and past State Delegate of
Chatham Local 170. Dr. Ford is currently a professor of criminal
justice and director of the graduate program in justice admin-
istration and public service at the College of Saint Elizabeth in
Morristown. He has authored two books, “The Other Side of the
Line” and “Shift Work & Criminal Justice Professionals.” He can
be reached at [email protected].