Gary Vannatta Case Study

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” John C. Maxwell

FTOs will have a significant influence on their trainees and thus influence the future of law enforcement making the selection of the trainers a critical component of the process (Scoville, 2005). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed 90% of officers interviewed stated their FTO was the most significant

“In order to be a good leader, there are two things to remember. Lead from the Front and always set the Example. From these two leadership principles, everything else will fall into place.”

To begin, I shall summarize the major issue regarding the case study shown on page 103, in the 7th edition book Titled, Effective Police Supervision, written by Harry More and Larry Miller in 2015. Sergeant Lou Maynard recently got promoted to the evening supervisor for the Craigview Police Department. Six months had then passed. While leading his team, Maynard came to the realization that two of his officers did not seem motivated as the rest of them were. The other officers, that were doing their jobs, started to complain about the two non-motivated officers. They began stating that the two officers did not their carry their weight when it came to the team. The two officers are noticed working as if they do not wish to be there and are just waiting to retire in the next year. They have even distanced themselves when it comes to socializing with fellow officers on duty and off.

For my internship I was with the Spirit Lake Police Department. They are located in Spirit Lake Iowa and they’re a city police department. They have a total of ten people working in their department. The Spirit Lake Police Department hierarchy is one Chief; Jeff Hanson, two Sergeants; Shane Brevik and Scott Colt, 6 Officers; Josh Kilpatrick, Nathan Roth, Daren Diers, Jesse Miller, Hunter Clayton, and Ryan Vos. They also have an office secretary Sanja Erickson. They also have a K-9 whose name is Cairo his handler is Sergeants Brevik. They also normally have a lieutenant but Rodney Baker retired back in May so they’re in the process of promoting one of their officers to that position once there new officer Ryan Vos comes back from the academy. The schedules that the Spirit Lake officers have are 4 days on and then 4 days off. They work a 12-hour shift (Six to Six). They

Field training officer (FTO) programs were created so that agencies could better manage the post academy training for officers that traditionally were not hired into this field of work (Doerner, 2012). The “good old boy” program was out, and the implementation of a structured, standardized FTO program became the replacement (Doerner, 2012). In order to implement a FTO program, it must be defined so that the overall objectives are met. The San Jose Police Department was the first to initiate an FTO program. With some slight changes, this system is typically the one in use today (Doerner, 2012).

As a patrol officer in Memphis for nearly ten years I feel personally invested in questions concerning the management of patrol personnel. Having seen many good officers and a few bad officers over the years I know the difficult task administrators are required to handle on a daily basis. I come from a military background and prefer clear direct instruction/guidance from my management. By knowing what the standards are and the possible consequences for failing to meet them I feel comfortable in my day to day responsibilities. Not all officers are like me, some dislike what they perceive to be micromanagement. Yet I would contend that clear policy and procedure as well as a strong mission statement as the benchmark for officer success are not

In 2002, I left this department for a much larger agency, the Metro Nashville Police Department. It was a much needed change and was like a breath of fresh air walking into a positive workforce. I really don’t have the words to describe how much different it was. In looking back, I credit a lot of this to our wellness program. I am now a captain with our agency and serve as our department’s Director of Training. I have been in this position for 3 years. Our agency has nearly 1450 sworn employees with an additional 500 civilians that serve the city of Nashville. Working at the Training Academy, I have the opportunity to oversee all of our training with new police officer trainees as well as overseeing our annual in-service training.

Rookie officers are taught what is widely known as the “first rule of law enforcement” An officer is overriding goal every day is to go home at the end of their shift. They learn that every encounter, every individual is a potential threat. They always have to be on their guard because, as officers often say, “complacency kills.” That is the point of the training.

The area where Officer Griffith excels is radio use. His radio traffic is accurate, brief and concise. Officer Griffith's speech is clear and easily

Gary Dahl was born on December 18, 1936. Unfortunately he had recently died on March 23, 2015 at the age of 78 years old. He was born in Bottineau, North Dakota, and moved to Spokane, Washington. His mother worked as being a waitress, his father was

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done, because he wants to do it”. -34th President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Leadership is a very broad topic; I never knew just how many different traits and skills that it takes to become an effective leader. Some of which I was familiar with, and others that I was not aware of, but now from taking this course, they all seem to be necessary for the role of leadership. The attached paper, will explain of some of the important theories and concepts that I thought were most important to be able to become and effective leader.

I would have never thought how a day in the life of a police officer would be so rigorous. My ride along experience with the Wichita Police Department ended up being exhilarating and intense at the same time. I was fortunate enough to get to ride the entire shift, which starts at 6:00 p.m. and ends at 4:00 a.m., pending on how much paperwork needed to be done at the end of the night. I was to be at the substation at 6:00 p.m. on a Friday evening. I was briefly introduced to the Sergeant of the overnight shift. At 6:30 p.m., the two officers held a meeting and with four other associate officers. They talked about problem areas and complaints within their beat. The assembly had a definite seriousness, but the entirety of the meeting did not last long and actually ended on a good note with some of the officers making fun of each other and telling jokes. The meeting ended at 6:50 p.m., and I was ready to start my ride along with one of the officers at the meeting. He stood a tall, strong, and serious with a confident intimidation in his eyes; he was definitely someone who I knew would be exciting to work with.

“Leadership is influencing others by your character, humility, and example. It is recognizable when others follow in word and deed without obligation or coercion”.( Sonny Newman, president of contract manufacturer EE Technologies)