Chain of
Command
Command
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Everybody knows, or should know, the most important resource of any
police department is its police officers. The police officer is a
department's largest human resource, and your responsibilities are vast
and varied. Police departments have always been modeled on the
military structure, because that system of organization is the most
efficient, and responsible, when herding a bunch of people armed with
guns.
The single most important element of a successful military style
structure is its chain of command. Police departments... use to be... just
as committed to their adherence to the chain of command philosophy as
any efficient military organization. When I became a police officer, the
chain of command was sacrosanct. Aside from saluting and exchanging
greetings with higher ranking officers, my sergeant was the only
supervisor with whom I had direct conversational contact.
It took years before I realized the real value of chain of command. A
retired police chief once commented, "When something goes through
fifteen people, before it gets to me, and then, I find something wrong
with it, everybody thinks I'm a genius." The translation is this: Nobody
is perfect, but people in command positions, and the organization, will
always benefit from a perception of their perfection. That perception,
rightly or wrongly, will keep any system running efficiently.
The chain of command had another benefit. It was static and resistant
to change, or I should say it was resistant to frequent and arbitrary
change. However, resistant doesn't mean immune. To be blunt, your
exposure to chain of command may be limited to your academy training.
Once you're assigned to patrol, you could find yourself a bit confused as
you try to follow direction from any number of supervisors. If you're
lucky, you'll have a sergeant who knows he or she is a sergeant.
The sergeant is, literally, the lynch pin of any police department. The
sergeant is the most influential supervisor, because the sergeant is the
doorway between you and management. You'll know when you have a
strong and competent sergeant when you're not subjected to conflicted
direction. Just to be on the safe side, you're going to have to strive for
self sufficiency. You're going to have to learn as much as you can in
the shortest amount of time. A police chief once stopped by to give a
squad a pep talk. This squad was formed specifically for the service of
arrest warrants. During the banter, the Chief remarked, "If you see a
light on, kick the door in." The expression on the Sergeant's face
evoked a question from the Chief in a sarcastic tone, "Do you have
something to say, Sergeant?" The Sergeant replied, "No, sir."
Following the Chief's departure, the Sergeant explained to his squad
that the mere presence of a light in a dwelling is not sufficient probable
cause to kick in the door.
It gets better. Another Police Chief inherited a police department with
a military style pyramid organizational structure. In the pyramid
structure, there's always someone to set, or communicate, clear
direction to those lower in the structure. This Chief's organizational
"Paradigm" rested on the idea of cooperation. He promptly knocked
over the pyramid and replaced it with a flat organizational structure.
High ranking commanders, of equal rank, would sit down together and
resolve issues affecting their individual missions such as assignment of
human and materiel resources. In the end, they would, theoretically,
amicably agree on which commander(s) would get screwed. Need I say
more?
To me, the most important aspect to chain of command is its inherent
stability. Police work is serious business, and a strong chain of
command keeps police officers in line. Long ago, governments realized
the need to form professional law enforcement entities to replace
vigilante justice. In any modern police department where a significant
number of police officers employ vigilante style tactics, you'll find that
department's chain of command either supplanted or simply
non-existent.
police department is its police officers. The police officer is a
department's largest human resource, and your responsibilities are vast
and varied. Police departments have always been modeled on the
military structure, because that system of organization is the most
efficient, and responsible, when herding a bunch of people armed with
guns.
The single most important element of a successful military style
structure is its chain of command. Police departments... use to be... just
as committed to their adherence to the chain of command philosophy as
any efficient military organization. When I became a police officer, the
chain of command was sacrosanct. Aside from saluting and exchanging
greetings with higher ranking officers, my sergeant was the only
supervisor with whom I had direct conversational contact.
It took years before I realized the real value of chain of command. A
retired police chief once commented, "When something goes through
fifteen people, before it gets to me, and then, I find something wrong
with it, everybody thinks I'm a genius." The translation is this: Nobody
is perfect, but people in command positions, and the organization, will
always benefit from a perception of their perfection. That perception,
rightly or wrongly, will keep any system running efficiently.
The chain of command had another benefit. It was static and resistant
to change, or I should say it was resistant to frequent and arbitrary
change. However, resistant doesn't mean immune. To be blunt, your
exposure to chain of command may be limited to your academy training.
Once you're assigned to patrol, you could find yourself a bit confused as
you try to follow direction from any number of supervisors. If you're
lucky, you'll have a sergeant who knows he or she is a sergeant.
The sergeant is, literally, the lynch pin of any police department. The
sergeant is the most influential supervisor, because the sergeant is the
doorway between you and management. You'll know when you have a
strong and competent sergeant when you're not subjected to conflicted
direction. Just to be on the safe side, you're going to have to strive for
self sufficiency. You're going to have to learn as much as you can in
the shortest amount of time. A police chief once stopped by to give a
squad a pep talk. This squad was formed specifically for the service of
arrest warrants. During the banter, the Chief remarked, "If you see a
light on, kick the door in." The expression on the Sergeant's face
evoked a question from the Chief in a sarcastic tone, "Do you have
something to say, Sergeant?" The Sergeant replied, "No, sir."
Following the Chief's departure, the Sergeant explained to his squad
that the mere presence of a light in a dwelling is not sufficient probable
cause to kick in the door.
It gets better. Another Police Chief inherited a police department with
a military style pyramid organizational structure. In the pyramid
structure, there's always someone to set, or communicate, clear
direction to those lower in the structure. This Chief's organizational
"Paradigm" rested on the idea of cooperation. He promptly knocked
over the pyramid and replaced it with a flat organizational structure.
High ranking commanders, of equal rank, would sit down together and
resolve issues affecting their individual missions such as assignment of
human and materiel resources. In the end, they would, theoretically,
amicably agree on which commander(s) would get screwed. Need I say
more?
To me, the most important aspect to chain of command is its inherent
stability. Police work is serious business, and a strong chain of
command keeps police officers in line. Long ago, governments realized
the need to form professional law enforcement entities to replace
vigilante justice. In any modern police department where a significant
number of police officers employ vigilante style tactics, you'll find that
department's chain of command either supplanted or simply
non-existent.
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| Copyright © 2006 - 2009 - Barry M. Baker - CareerPoliceOfficer.com |
| Disclaimer |
| CareerPoliceOfficer.com is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites. Links are provided only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by this site. |
"Police work is serious business,
and a strong chain of command
keeps police officers in line."
and a strong chain of command
keeps police officers in line."
~ Barry M. Baker
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