What Is Chief Fortier's Executive Style?

This essay discusses the effects of the police organizational culture on a Police officer’s ability to make independent decisions.

Are the people placed in these roles fit as being a leader? Are they capable of leading in a large quality in the future? There has been research on the varied of different leadership styles with in law enforcement agencies. Other views on the research focus on leadership and how it effects organizational commitment. There is a need to push out research and create different models in order to redesign of law enforcement agencies. According to Patrick J. Hughes “Increasing Organizational Leadership Through the Police Promotional Process”, he explains the current process used in promoting ranks and the available leadership education for law enforcement agents. There are clear connections between leadership styles and how to proper assess a true

First, between 1890 and 1930, the management of the police force was centralized. Virtually every decision had to go to the top for approval, with the goal of limiting the low-level officer’s exposure to temptation. To reinforce the hierarchy, specialized units were created to deal with such problems as drugs, youth, guns, and gangs. As Bratton described it, [The department] was divided into little fiefdoms, and some bureau chiefs didn’t even talk to each other…. Each bureau was like a silo: Information entered at the bottom and had to be delivered up the chain of command from one level to another until it reached the chief’s office.

With the implementation of a formal system of policies, procedures, rules and regulations, and discipline the behavior of the officers can be modified to emulate the values and objectives of the department. Assuring first that the command staff / Chief of Police and his subordinates are compliant and fully knowledgeable of all current rules, regulations, policies, and standards, the delegation of authority for specific actions would relieve the burden on chief. As a result, more attention can be placed on the officers and their activities in the field.

Wilson, credited with being “the most influential figures in making [professionalism] the dominant paradigm in American policing” (Henry, 2003, p. 81). Vollmer served as Berkeley California’s Chief of Police from 1905 to 1932, during which he revolutionized policing by increasing efficiency and providing resources for the police to better serve their community (Henry, 2003). As Chief, Vollmer made Berkeley “the first police agency to deploy its entire patrol force in automobiles, enabling officers to respond to reported crimes even more rapidly” (Henry, 2003, p. 81). Knowing that policing was a multifaceted service, Vollmer believed that police officers should be proficient in knowledge of law and their duties and social skills, but they also should continue their education and receive advanced training (Henry, 2003). He held the belief that higher “education held the key to transforming policing into a true profession, equal in status and stature to the legal and medical professions” (Henry, 2003, p. 81). Holding the same values, Vollmer’s protégée, O.W. Wilson, used the skills and leadership attributes learned from Vollmer to improve and reform the Wichita, Kansas Police Department (Henry, 2003). Wilson, similarly to Vollmer, researched how to improve efficiency and implemented new technology to better serve the community (Henry, 2003). Vollmer and Wilson’s dedication to and implementation of technology in

Corruption and brutality scandals have severely tarnished the public’s faith in the police. From the killings and brutalizing of citizens in New York City to the widespread corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department, more and more law enforcement administrators are faced with the task of reforming police department, with little guidance on how to bring about the necessary changes. This is not the first time in our country’s history that

1. A single catastrophic event, often followed by civil liability litigation, leads to the chief of police being replaced (Swanson, 2012, pg. 650). This forces changes because it addresses a single incident and forces change. A good example of this would be the failure to adequately respond to an incident. This can be seen when an incident unarmed person is killed by the police. This can be a result of inadequate training or a trigger happy force. None the less the reason, the

Police executives have always had different issues within the police department. Most police executives try to find a quick fix in order to solve the issue of police misconduct. Police misconduct is defined as inappropriate action taken by police officers in relation with their official duties (Police Misconduct Law & Legal Definition, n.d.). In order to solve this issue, one must acknowledge their different challenges, overcome the “code of silence”, and find out the role of organizational culture.

Chief Davis executive style is the administrator, the statesman and the politician. Each style has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of Chief Davis administrator style is he is able to join the department and look at the internal factors that needed to be fixed in the department. He was able to plan for administrative changes, fixing staffing issues, and overall take control over his police department (Cordner, 2016). Chief Davis second advantage was using his ability as a statesman to reach out to the community and create an open dialogue to get to the root of the issue. Having the ability to be a statesman in the department involves being a leader in both the police department and the public. The chief last advantage was

While the Reform Era worked to professionalize police, as society became more complex, so did the role of the police officer. The Community Policing Era was developed as a result of the need to develop cooperation and positive relationships between the police and public. What developed out of this era was an essential element of community policing – public accountability. Police officers became accountable to their supervisors who in turn became accountable to the community. Accountability can be seen as an honest evaluation of achievement based on clearly defined objectives. Many of these objectives are defined by complex community and social problems; as such police officers require the capacity and flexibility to work on them in a variety of styles and employing a variety of strategies.

In this paper I would be identifying, compare, and contrast the policing function at the local, state, and federal organizational levels. I would be Analyzing how the organizational, management, administration, and operational functions at these three organizational levels are similar or different and why. Also I would be identifying the leadership characteristics and responsibilities pertaining to each organizational level.

Police leadership uses standardization and procedure as a way to create consistency and predict¬ability in law enforcement operations (Batts, Smoot, & Scrivner, 2012). The San Diego Police Department, like nearly all law enforcement agencies uses leadership models mimicking the United States military. Paramilitary organizations use highly structured framing to conduct business operations. The structural frame creates compartmentalized specialization, and predictable, uniform task performance desired by police executives. The tightly designed rank-and-file structure delineates locus power and control based on position (Bolman & Deal, 1991). Power rests at the top. Contained with this structure is top-down control of personnel,

The success of implementing a program like this requires that both parties be well informed and well educated on the changes that will take place. One of the first steps is to market the concept of community policing both internally (within the department), as well as externally(within the community).  Marketing community policing internally often involves collapsing the existing structures of authority that are in place as well as the specialization within the department.  The case study mentioned that although the senior administrators in the department played a critical role in the reform, it was also necessary that line level officers be active participants in the process.  After all, two important components of community policing are empowerment and ownership.  Officers were given ownership of certain areas that were

Whisenand, P. M., & McCain, J. K. (2014). Managing Police Organizations. In P. M.Whisenand, & J. K. McCain, Managing Police Organizations (p. 33). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

The style of police leadership has gradually changed over the last several years. The traditional belief that the solitary leader who possessed the wisdom, integrity, and courage to manage a police department, or a shift of officers has been replaced with the concept of teamwork (Wuestewald, 2013). The idea of using a team to manage an organization is nothing new in the private sector, however, replacing the old idea of a solitary leader has taken time and is slow to take hold in some organizations.