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Police
and
Politics
and
Politics
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When you apply to a police department, you'll probably be presented
with a sunny picture of all the opportunities available for advancement
defined by length of service and examinations. At that point you'll
believe that your acquisition of knowledge, experience, and your
placement on competitive examinations will determine your subsequent
lateral or upward movement within the department. Think again.
Have you ever wondered why the true definition of politics has been long
lost? It's probably because politics is most often associated with people
who use means other than quality and substance to seek advancement.
When you begin your career as a police officer, you're going to see a lot
of politics defined as who you know and who knows you. How you're
known and by whom will have everything to do with your ability to
obtain assignments or advancements regardless of your expertise or
qualifications.
The culture of politics exists everywhere; however, unlike private
enterprise where profit is indispensable, government is simply a
quagmire of political corruption, nepotism, and favoritism...some
governments are just worse than others. Since profit is not a
consideration in government, it can carry considerably more dead weight
than any private enterprise.
The size of the police department you join will determine how many
people reside in the dead weight category. You'll soon learn that just
because a person is considered dead weight by most, that classification
need not negatively affect that person's lateral or upward movement.
During your career you'll work with and for people who are clearly in
over their heads. In government, unlike private industry, these people
can last for a long time. In those instances where they begin causing
harm, they'll simply be moved to a position where they can do less
harm. You'll even see these types promoted and hidden away from
operational activities.
Don't despair. Things are the way they are. In the beginning, you'll
have your hands full just learning the things you need to learn. As a
new police officer, you'll be in patrol which is literally the backbone of
your police department. You should give yourself at least three years as
a patrol officer, before you start thinking about moving onward and
upward. Realistically, three years will only provide you limited
experience; however, I too was young once, and I realize how young
people think. You could, as I did, shun the intrigue of departmental
politics and remain a patrol officer for twenty years...as I did. Looking
back, I did it the hard way. However, I had tons of experience once I
dodged all the roadblocks.
If you decide to get into the politics of the job, your biggest and most
critical decision will be who to suck up to. Things and circumstances can
change rapidly. In the past, police culture was a pretty stable
environment. Not so today. You could find yourself investing a lot of
time and effort cultivating relationships with people who are in today
and out tomorrow. The successful suck up will keep his or her options
open. In other words, sucking up is an art defined in two parts: the
suck up's ability to not offend those who could be part of the tomorrow
crowd; and the suck up's ability to seamlessly transfer allegiances on
very short notice.
The real trick to sucking up is maintaining your integrity. For some,
sacrificing one's integrity is not a big deal. While sacrificing your
integrity will make sucking up a lot easier, that's not the way you want
to go. Those who suck up while maintaining their integrity are those
who practice sucking up as a true art form.
with a sunny picture of all the opportunities available for advancement
defined by length of service and examinations. At that point you'll
believe that your acquisition of knowledge, experience, and your
placement on competitive examinations will determine your subsequent
lateral or upward movement within the department. Think again.
Have you ever wondered why the true definition of politics has been long
lost? It's probably because politics is most often associated with people
who use means other than quality and substance to seek advancement.
When you begin your career as a police officer, you're going to see a lot
of politics defined as who you know and who knows you. How you're
known and by whom will have everything to do with your ability to
obtain assignments or advancements regardless of your expertise or
qualifications.
The culture of politics exists everywhere; however, unlike private
enterprise where profit is indispensable, government is simply a
quagmire of political corruption, nepotism, and favoritism...some
governments are just worse than others. Since profit is not a
consideration in government, it can carry considerably more dead weight
than any private enterprise.
The size of the police department you join will determine how many
people reside in the dead weight category. You'll soon learn that just
because a person is considered dead weight by most, that classification
need not negatively affect that person's lateral or upward movement.
During your career you'll work with and for people who are clearly in
over their heads. In government, unlike private industry, these people
can last for a long time. In those instances where they begin causing
harm, they'll simply be moved to a position where they can do less
harm. You'll even see these types promoted and hidden away from
operational activities.
Don't despair. Things are the way they are. In the beginning, you'll
have your hands full just learning the things you need to learn. As a
new police officer, you'll be in patrol which is literally the backbone of
your police department. You should give yourself at least three years as
a patrol officer, before you start thinking about moving onward and
upward. Realistically, three years will only provide you limited
experience; however, I too was young once, and I realize how young
people think. You could, as I did, shun the intrigue of departmental
politics and remain a patrol officer for twenty years...as I did. Looking
back, I did it the hard way. However, I had tons of experience once I
dodged all the roadblocks.
If you decide to get into the politics of the job, your biggest and most
critical decision will be who to suck up to. Things and circumstances can
change rapidly. In the past, police culture was a pretty stable
environment. Not so today. You could find yourself investing a lot of
time and effort cultivating relationships with people who are in today
and out tomorrow. The successful suck up will keep his or her options
open. In other words, sucking up is an art defined in two parts: the
suck up's ability to not offend those who could be part of the tomorrow
crowd; and the suck up's ability to seamlessly transfer allegiances on
very short notice.
The real trick to sucking up is maintaining your integrity. For some,
sacrificing one's integrity is not a big deal. While sacrificing your
integrity will make sucking up a lot easier, that's not the way you want
to go. Those who suck up while maintaining their integrity are those
who practice sucking up as a true art form.
Things would really be nice if everything
were based on true and fair competition. The
strength and quality of your efforts and
accomplishments would be the determining
factors in establishing your level of
advancement within your chosen profession.
were based on true and fair competition. The
strength and quality of your efforts and
accomplishments would be the determining
factors in establishing your level of
advancement within your chosen profession.