Category Archives: Leadership

The 3 Accountability Relationships in Law Enforcement

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The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to share positive leadership tactics with the field of law enforcement. Positive leadership cannot be achieved without recognizing the various levels of accountability that exist in law enforcement and learning to work those relationships.

Accountability is defined as the obligation of an individual or organization to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and disclose the results in a transparent manner. There are 3 primary accountability relationships within law enforcement: Department <–> Community, Department <–> Officers, and Supervisors <–> Officers. Each accountability relationship is a two-way street that must be equally travelled on both sides in order for there to be shared successes.

Department <–> Community

The relationship between a community and a police department is vital to both the safety of the community and the success of the department in providing that safety. Police departments are funded by tax dollars from the community they are entrusted to protect. The community is accountable to the department by giving them the funding to hire the proper number of officers, compensate them appropriately, and obtain the necessary equipment to meet the needs and expectations of the community. In turn, the department is expected to serve their community by treating them with dignity and respect at all times. Communities accept that police departments must at times use force, but expect it to be done with the utmost responsibility. Support from the community ultimately gives police departments the authority they need to get the job done. There cannot be an “Us versus Them” mentality in order for both side of this relationship to succeed.

Department <–> Officers

The relationship between a police department and their officers must be one of mutual respect and understanding. Officers must be accountable to the department that has hired them to hit the streets each day and keep the community they serve safe. The department must provide the necessary equipment, training, recognition, and pay to give their officers the most advantageous position possible for dealing with the law-breakers of the community. In other words, departments must take care of their officers and find ways to set them up for success. In order to demonstrate their success, officers must show through their community interactions and production that they are working for the wage they are being paid by meeting the mission and standards set forth by the department. Officers must have respect for the power bestowed upon them and be diligent in upholding the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. Without officers there is no police department and without a police department there are no officers.

Supervisors <–> Officers

The relationship between supervisors and officers is the most direct accountability relationship of the three. There is direct influence on both sides based on the amount of contact, level of communication, and strength of connection developed while serving the community as a team. The supervisor must walk the tightrope of being the translator between the needs of the department and those of the officers. By taking the time to establish a positive squad culture with their officers and developing trust, the supervisor can take any department initiative, present it to their officers, and get buy-in. In turn, officers must be able to trust their direct supervisor and truly believe that the supervisor has their best interests in mind. As discussed in the blog “7 Macro and 7 Micro Ways of Creating a Positive Squad Culture” it is up to the supervisor to give their squad the “gift of going second” in establishing a trust-based relationship. Each side of this accountability relationship must give a little to gain a lot.

As written in multiple other Thin Blue Line of Leadership blogs, people are policing. Without strong relationships in these 3 areas of accountability; morale, trust, production, compensation and many other areas suffer. It would not be a stretch to say that on some level the events last month in Ferguson, Missouri are attributable to issues in at least one, if not all, of these accountability relationships. This is why these 3 relationships are so vital to policing.

Do you feel there is a more important accountability relationship we missed?

Share your thoughts or comments with us below or on our Facebook page. Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

6 Ways to Positively Influence Officer Behavior

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Every law enforcement organization in the world has that “slug” or “lazy cop” that no longer goes above and beyond. Maybe above and beyond is even too much of an expectation. You know, the officer that occasionally causes you to wonder if you need to put a mirror under his/her nose to make sure they are still breathing. Unfortunately, the vast majority of officers that fall into this category are a product of their environment. An environment created by or allowed to be by their leadership.

These officers have been allowed to be in this useless state for so long because no one has ever held them accountable on a consistent basis for their actions, or lack thereof. Naturally, most cops want to do great work, but when allowed to become complacent or unmotivated, they become a blight on the whole department.

In the book EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey he writes, “If you as a leader allow people to halfway do their jobs and don’t demand excellence as a prerequisite to keeping their job, you will create a culture of mediocrity.”

culturemediocrity

The bad news is that you cannot change people. Only they can decide to change themselves through their actions, attitude, and effort. So, the question becomes what can you change? The answer is the environment.

By making consistent, incremental positive changes in the environment, you can alter the behaviors of your officers. Here are 6 things you can start doing tomorrow to change your squad’s environment and create lasting on-the-job behavioral changes.

  1. Recognize and reward the positive actions and attitudes of your officers. When you see something great, recognize it immediately and find a way to reward it. Other officers will see that success and then begin to duplicate that behavior. A hand written note, a shout-out in briefing, buying them a coffee, getting them into a training they wanted, or speaking positively about them to upper staff are easy ways to reward positive behaviors.
  2. Have your officers submit weekly or monthly goals to you and find ways to assist them in reaching those goals. Ask your officers for specific and measurable goals related to current issues in their beats. For example, spending more time in a neighborhood hit hard by property crimes, working extra traffic enforcement on a stretch of road that has had a lot of collisions, meeting business owners in their beat, etc. Use these goals as a springboard for consistent interaction and evaluation. If you let them leave briefing just to drive circles until a call comes out, then you are doing them, yourself, the department, and the community a disservice.
  3. Discover each of your officers’ policing passion. Turn them into the “go to” expert on your squad by sending them to passion-specific trainings and giving them temporary duty assignments with related specialty units. This will develop their strength in that area and set them up for future success as they test for those specialty units or promote.
  4. Establish clear squad expectations that correlate with your department’s mission. You know what a “rock star” officer looks like. Share that vision with your squad regularly – what constitutes success should not be a guessing game. Need a suggestion for setting squad expectations? See the Culture in Just 4 Words blog.
  5. Conduct frequent evaluation conversations that do not merely glance back at the past, but are primarily future-focused. Most, if not all, police departments require annual evaluations, but do not let that be the only feedback your officers receive. It does little to no good to bring up negatives from 11 months ago; especially if there is no longer an issue. Discuss issues immediately by defining the problem, reinforcing your expectations, and setting specific changes you want to see from this point forward. If your officers are exhibiting positive behaviors, refer back to #1 on this list.
  6. Get officer buy-in by giving them a voice to make suggestions for improvement. Create a method where officers can submit suggestions for their squad, beat, district, or the department as a whole. This gives you a great way to handle and issues brought up in conversation or during briefing. Just advise them to send you an email with a suggested solution for the perceived problem. Then, as the sergeant or first-line supervisor, you present those suggestions to the appropriate department parties. One extremely important piece to this concept is to always remember to give credit where credit is due.

What ideas do you have for changing officer behavior by modifying their environment?

Share your thoughts or comments with us below or on our Facebook page. Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to share positive leadership tactics with the field of law enforcement. Positive leadership starts by building a positive squad culture. A positive squad culture nurtures your officer’s motivation and passion which, in turn, results in positive productivity and interactions with the community.

14 Ways to Create a Positive Squad Culture

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“Workplace perks, which have been popular approaches to boosting workplace morale, ‘do not compare to the employee enjoying and feeling engaged in their work.'”   ~Doug Dickerson

Creating a positive squad culture must be at the top of the TBL Leader’s agenda. By frequently asking, “What can I do to enhance and support a positive squad culture?” the TBL Leader is steering the direction of their officer’s actions, attitudes, and effort for not only that shift, but well beyond.

Below are some specific actions that a TBL Leader can take to begin establishing, reengaging, or retaining a positive squad culture. These have been broken down into two categories – Macro and Micro Ideas. Macro are big, overall picture ideas and micro are small specific ideas. Both are necessary to achieving the overall goal of creating a positive squad culture.

MACRO IDEAS – The Big Picture

1. Don’t allow persistent negativity to permeate briefings. Identify issues, address them as a squad, and move on. In paramilitary organizations there is only so much control officers and sergeants have beyond themselves. Focus on your squad’s strengths and always ask what can we do better this shift. Nothing breeds positive squad culture as effectively as success.

2. Know the career goals of the officers on your squad. Continually be looking for ways to develop and promote them within the organization. Goal-specific trainings, temporary duty assignments, and public praise to higher-ups in the chain of command take very little effort on your part, but can yield great results.

3. Stop the gossip. Gossip is a killer within any organization by breeding mistrust and negativity. There will always be problems and frustrations, especially in law enforcement, but when the issue is being fueled by officers that have no way of or intention to solve the problem, then they are gossiping. If your squad has a gossip problem or a specific issue is creating gossip, step in quickly and either bring parties together that can address the issue directly or take the concern higher up the chain of command. Both of these options are moving towards a solution as opposed to just creating a larger contingent of gossipers. Once it is dealt with, it is done.

4. Be authentic with the officers on your squad. Share your values, goals, knowledge, and self on a regular basis. Tell officers about your family, calls you have experienced, mistakes you have made, and successes you have had. Leadership author Michael Hyatt says, “give them the gift of going second.” In other words, by going first you give your officers permission to trust, believe, and follow your leadership and then share themselves with you. As trained observers, it does not take a detective to pick up on a leader that it being guarded or has selfish motives.

5. Set clear expectations with your squad. Develop a framework for officers to work within so it is clear when they are meeting your expectations and know exactly what winning looks like under your leadership. There should be no guessing game when it comes to being successful. After reading this blog, write down 5 traits that define what a “rock star” officer would look like to you and then share that with your squad. If there is a vision you want officers to meet, it cannot be a secret.

6. Do not allow passivity and mediocrity. By allowing those behaviors to survive without consequence you are giving others permission to be that way as well. In the book EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey he writes, “If you as a leader allow people to halfway do their jobs and don’t demand excellence as a prerequisite to keeping their job, you will create a culture of mediocrity. If you allow people to misbehave, under achieve, have a bad attitude, gossip, and generally avoid excellence, please don’t expect to attract and keep great talent. Please don’t expect to have a great culture.” What you inspire, you will create – this works for both positivity and negativity.

7. Have follow through. Just like pitching a baseball, without a good follow through, you have no idea where the ball is going to end up – over the catchers head, in the dirt, or in the batter’s ear. Every action you request or vision you share must be followed up on at regular intervals. Make your expectations known and then allow your officers to use their own ingenuity to accomplish the task or solve the problem. If you never come back to the request and just let it dissipate, your officers will feel like they have wasted their time, effort, and energy. How do you avoid this? Set clear expectations. Check in regularly. Praise progress. Reward results. Share success with your squad and give credit where credit is due.

MICRO IDEAS – The Close-Up Picture

1. Be the first one in the briefing room. Make this your priority, then being on time or even early will become the norm for your officers because you have set the example. Practice what you preach.

2. Set the tone with some good upbeat music prior to the start of briefing. You are in the briefing room early, might as well press play. Imagine walking into a briefing room with some AC/DC “Back in Black” playing or other artist depending on the taste of your squad – wouldn’t you feel more pumped up for the start of a shift? Stop the music just before you are ready to begin and it signifies to those in the room that you are ready to go.

3. Motivate with silent messages. Most briefing rooms have a white board or someplace where a good quote could be posted that speaks of hard work, motivation, success, officer safety, team work, leadership, etc. The best part is that you do not even have to say a word about it; just post it up and leave it for the week. With very little effort you have sent a message to your officers about what you believe. How many times do you think your officers will read it during that time? For example . . .

“What you do has far greater impact than what you say.” ~Stephen Covey

Unless you feel like it, you do not even have to search for the quotes – just follow @tbl_leadership on Twitter for multiple quote ideas each week.

4. Brief with a purpose. Take the time to plan out topics in advance that you would like to discuss with your squad throughout the week or, even better, the month. The key is to not be satisfied with briefings being a 30 minute “bull session” before hitting the road every day. Pulling up the occasional Police One video, while better than nothing, is still a far cry from what can be accomplished with advanced planning and a specific purpose. Obviously, given the fluidity of police work it is important to maintaining flexibility to allow for discussion regarding recent calls, successes, or issues that come up unexpectedly. Always be looking for “teachable” moments you can have with your squad.

5. Have your officers set monthly goals and share them with you. At the beginning of each month, have your officers email you or write down 2 – 3 goals/projects they want to focus on that month that are strengths of theirs – making more traffic stops, check subjects, contacting business owners, working a trouble address, spending more time in a particular neighborhood, finding DUIs, etc. It only takes them a couple of minutes, but provides you the invaluable opportunity to support/coach them on those goals/projects. By having consistent, on-going interactions with your officers regarding their monthly focus, you are in an excellent position to catch them doing good and making the most of their strengths. It also creates an easy conversation starter by saying something like, “Hey, how is it going in that neighborhood? Anything I can do to help you with that?”

6. Recognize success, winning, and commendations regularly in briefing. Read positive letters from citizens aloud and make them a big deal. Give out handwritten notes when you want to recognize an officer’s hard work, birthday, or support them through a rough time. Brag about an officer when a family member or friend comes on a ride-along. Post pictures up in the briefing room of officers after making a big arrest, demonstrating teamwork, initiative, or showing they are winning based on your definition. Simply put, spend more time catching people doing good rather than focusing on the negatives. Baseball players are All Stars for hitting the ball 3 out of every 10 at bats. A much higher success rate is expected of officers and their lives depend on it. Never talk down about the work done on a daily basis by your officers by using the excuse of “he just did his job.”

7. Identify the leader(s) on your squad. When something needs to change or a new policy implemented, talk to your squad leader(s) first and get them on board. Explain what the change is, how it is going to work, and then why it is important/necessary. The explanation must contain all 3 parts: what, how, and why in order for it to be effective. The squad leader(s) can then work behind the scenes to make the change or transition to the new policy a much smoother one than if it is just thrown out there and officers are told to “follow it or else.”

Inevitably, bad days and negative incidents are going to happen. As stated in last week’s blog, Robert Collier said “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” By taking the time and making the extra effort to create a positive squad culture, a TBL Leader’s squad will be better prepared to “weather the storm” when those things that are out of your control present themselves. Why are they better prepared??? Because the TBL Leader’s officers believe in them and will do whatever it takes to protect the positive culture the squad has established.

What other ideas do you have for creating a positive squad culture?

Share your ideas and comments with us below or on our Facebook page.

The next blog at Thin Blue Line of Leadership will describe one way to establish a framework for squad expectations without setting quotas or limits . . . Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

Power, Passion, People, and Production

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“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.”   –Robert Collier


 The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to share positive leadership tactics with the field of law enforcement. Positive leadership starts by creating a positive squad culture.

 Sergeants or first-line supervisors have direct influence on the officers assigned to them and the environment in which they work. The direction a squad takes culturally can be attributed to the leadership, or lack thereof, provided by the sergeant or first-line supervisor.

 Culture is defined by the actions and attitudes of a particular group demonstrated over time. The culture of a squad will carry over into everything they do both within the department and out in the community.

 Power, Passion, People, and Production

1. Power of Policing – Setting a clear vision and mission for a squad is crucial. The department provides a framework, but the TBL Leader defines it and gives it life. The ability to take a group of officers and show them exactly what winning looks like generates power. The more power the TBL Leader shares with the squad, the stronger the squad as a whole will become and the more impact they will have on the community. Without a barrel, a shotgun loses all effectiveness because the pellets have no direction. TBL Leaders provide the direction and thus the power.

 2. Passion for Policing – Passion is infectious! If the TBL Leader consistently shares their passion for the job with their squad, then the squad will reciprocate by retaining or regaining their own passion. When an entire squad has a shared passion, then overlapping squads take notice and want to have that same feeling of success. Passion also develops a desire to be at work and a commitment to protecting the positive culture by always working at a high level. Work is always at its best when it does not feel like work. TBL Leaders will always attract great officers to their squads that buy into what they are selling. Passion for policing should be encouraged and never discouraged.

 3. People are Policing – Victims, citizens, officers, and suspects – no matter the role, people are policing. Creating a positive squad culture directly impacts how officers respond to the people within the community they serve. TBL Leaders set the expectation that all people are to be treated with dignity and respect, even those under arrest. Then, they go out with their officers to regularly model, support, and reward this desired behavior. Officers are always watching how the TBL Leader handles a situation and learning from it. Demonstrate that treating people right can be one of the most effective officer safety tools in their toolbox.

 4. Production in Policing – Law enforcement production has always been a double-edge sword. The person who just received a speeding citation may be the one calling 911 shortly thereafter when their home is being burglarized. This dual role as both enforcers and protectors creates a very fine line for officers to walk. With that being said, departments need a way to show they are getting what they pay for, but must be cautious about assigning quantitative-only measures. When people are reduced to being stats, there is the risk that integrity, fairness, and good judgment could go by the wayside in lieu of statistical production. To offset this, TBL Leaders must routinely reward quality production, as opposed to just sheer quantity. Rewarding quality production regularly will teach officers where the balance point lies and what winning looks like to the TBL Leader. This is an essential part of developing a positive squad culture.

 By establishing a positive squad culture; power, passion, people, and production are all engaged positively. Will this require extra time, effort, and thought on the part of the TBL Leader? Absolutely, but the end result, the sum of those small efforts repeated day in and day out will be well worth it.

 The next blog at Thin Blue Line of Leadership will provide real-world suggestions for creating a positive squad culture . . .

 How have you seen leaders within your department create a positive squad culture?

 Share your comments with us below or on our Facebook page. Continue saving the world one call at a time and as always, LEAD ON!

Defining the Thin Blue Line Leader

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The mission at Thin Blue Line of Leadership is to share positive leadership tactics with the field of law enforcement. It is undeniable that law enforcement is a unique working environment and one in which the word positive is not always easily associated. Law enforcement is not just about laws and policies. It is about the community – victims, civilians, officers, and even criminals. So, bringing the word “positive” more frequently into law enforcement is a necessity because policing is about people. This belief must be a core value of any Thin Blue Line Leader before even getting into a deeper list of qualities.

Leadership comes in many different styles. When it comes to developing one’s own style of leadership, it is most common to emulate leaders that had a significant and direct influence on you either personally or professionally. These role-models of leadership won your heart and then were able to influence your mind, but only after being respected by you for who they are first.

Here are 10 qualities that define a Thin Blue Line Leader . . .

WINNING RESPECT  – Getting people to listen.

1. Competent – Being competent should be a given. Knowing basic and advanced officer techniques along with any specialty unit knowledge/skills you possess starts building your officers’ views of your competency. Do not assume that reputation alone will carry you. Accurately recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses will assist you in developing your competency across the board. A TBL Leader proves their competency from call to call and shift to shift.

2. Integrity and Honesty – Most people would say that integrity and honesty are the same thing, but let’s define it more specifically. Integrity is when your actions match your words. Honesty is when your words match your actions.  Law enforcement officers are constantly in situations and circumstances that test their integrity and honesty. A TBL Leader exemplifies this by holding themselves and their officers to a standard that is above reproach at all times.

3. Initiative – Do not stand still. Leaders with initiative constantly ask why something is the way it is, can it be improved, and what can I do to help. Just assuming that things are fine because “that’s how we’ve always done it” leads to stagnation and mediocrity. Regardless of the time and effort required, the TBL Leader is always looking for innovative ways to improve themselves, their officers, their department, and their community.

WINNING HEARTS – Getting people to believe.

4. Servant – This is not to be confused with subservient. A servant leader recognizes that as the leader they have taken on the responsibility of being selfless for the good of their officers. It is no longer just about your career, but lifting up your officers in their careers. TBL Leaders find ways to make their officers’ jobs easier by providing them with resources, training, and guidance.

5. Authentic – Be yourself. Arrogance and false bravado will build a wall between you and your officers that will make leading effectively much more difficult. Share your experience openly from both law enforcement and your personal life. Talking about things like your marriage, children, hobbies, or pets allow those you lead to gain insight into your belief structure. If you make a mistake, own up to it and set the example by seeking to improve. You are still human and no one, regardless of your rank, expects you to be perfect at all times. TBL Leaders recognize that when it comes to being authentic, you get what you give.

6. Supportive – Being supportive starts by opening your ears. As a leader, you have to listen, recognize, validate, and only then act. Clear communication with your officers will give you all the information you need to proceed with a course of action. Standing up for your officers, when in the right, is a must because TBL Leaders are the glue that holds a squad together.

7. Passionate – Passion should be encourage and never discouraged as long as it is appropriately directed. By setting a clear vision and mission for your squad, the leader creates focus and defines what winning looks like. Police officers like to win and the more they win, the more passion that is generated. TBL Leaders do not fear passion; they work tirelessly to create an environment that generates it.

8. Rewarding – Catching your officers doing something right should be an on-going goal of a leader. Too often, excessive amounts of time and energy are wasted searching for things that are done wrong and rewarding what gets done right gets overlooked. Obviously, serious malfunctions in officer safety or investigations need to be addressed, but there is always a way to address this so it does not destroy the officer’s morale or belief in the mission. TBL Leaders realize that rewarding officers positively reinforces and defines the behaviors that you, the leader, want to promote.

WINNING MINDS – Getting people to change.

9. Learner/Educator – Learner and educator go hand in hand. A leader must be a life-long learner. Personal experience will only hold out so long before you are just repeating yourself over and over. Taking the initiative to seek out new information and experiences will allow you to continue growing. Then, as the leader, you must be willing to share and teach what you have learned so the development of those you are responsible for can continue. No one is an expert in everything. Use your network of resources within the department to find experts in areas where you are weak. The TBL Leader recognizes the great value of learning, but realizes that it is most valuable only when is disseminated.

10. Translator – As a leader, being a good communicator is vital, but more important than communication is the ability to receive information and translate it into support for the vision and mission of your squad. As a first-line supervisor, you are the translation conduit for information coming from the upper staff and going to the officers on your squad. The way in which you present the information you are given will dictate your officers’ response to it. TBL Leaders recognize the power of translation and are clear and direct in their messages.

These 10 qualities define a Thin Blue Line Leader. Thin Blue Line of Leadership can be reached at tblleadership@gmail.com for any questions, comments, or suggestions. You can Like us on Facebook now, as well.

LEAD ON!