This discussion isn’t for the vast majority of police
agencies that are smaller than 25 officers.
Many of these, at times, need a culture change. But the challenges for them are somewhat
different than those required for the medium to large sized agency.
Just change the top
cop! That’s a solution that seldom
works. Most of the people in the agency
can sit back and wait this ‘carpetbagger’ out.
I recall a retired Deputy Chief from Dallas who had been a chief in two
agencies after his retirement commented that the live expectancy of a change
agent is about 2 years and the agency is usually back the way it was in a
matter of months after the change agent leaves.
Of course there are exceptions.
Reluctantly I’ll give Bill Bratton credit for the changes he made during
his 7 years with the LAPD. Chief Craig
in Detroit seems to be fighting his way to create changes in that legacy
agency. But we see too many apparent
failures…Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, Chicago, Oakland, Portland OR, and
Seattle are prime examples.
It takes staying power and the ability to develop a command
layer that is supportive of the top cop’s efforts. Then too you have to have the political
support of more than just the mayor or city manager. Does the new top cop have enough time to
develop the necessary social capital with the community?
Is training the key? It could be if the training was relevant to
changing the culture of the agency.
Regional training units have no real allegiance to any specific agency
and today deliver most training to all but the very large police agency. Many larger agencies may have their own
training units and that quality varies.
Usually both of these training delivery systems really focus on meeting
whatever the state standard is.
Unfortunately police still equate training to the number of hours
devoted rather than the outcome performance.
Whatever the delivery system, the quality of the instructor
is still the key. Many of you may have
seen a recent report from the Seattle Police Department. The instructor, facing hostility from the group
being trained, simply retorted that this was what DOJ wanted…not him. I found this scenario particularly
interesting since it was almost exactly the same as what occurred in a
television documentary concerning the implementation of the DOJ consent decree
in Pittsburgh in 1997.
Training to change an agency’s culture can’t be done in a
number of hours. It will take months of
interactive methods with instructors committed to the task. I’m afraid today’s agencies aren’t committed
to that outlay of personnel time.
Is an influx of new
blood at the street level the answer? It could be, but are you in a position
to hire that many and are you able to eliminate the ‘toxic officer?’ It will take money for settlement agreements
to get that type of thorn out of the agency, since the chance of termination
will be remote. And then you have to
find enough qualified new candidates that now must meet some reasonable ratio
to the complexion of your community. And
then you have the problem of bringing on new blood only to be trained during
the FTO program by old bad blood. Those
of you serving inner city communities will still have to face the allegation
that you’re nothing more than an ‘occupying’ force. Is there any reasonable solution to bringing
your new young officers to live in the inner city? How many young officers with school age kids
can afford private school? All the
attempts to invoke residency requirements have not worked. Maybe the Japanese model of police compounds
for employees…but that’s really ridiculous to even consider.
In the end, I don’t think anybody is committed to changing
the current culture of policing in America.
There’s too much inertia. What
you may not hear, but it’s present are sentiments like: It’s too hard. I’ve got only a few more years to go until I
can get out of this damn place. The
politicians don’t care. The community isn’t
behind it. I’ve got resumes out everywhere
and expect a call any day. The union
won’t back me. We’re fighting a war out
here. Where’s the money going to come
from?
Then, too, few cops can really articulate what they envision
the agency will look like with whatever cultural change might occur. Vision.
Commitment. These may be lacking.
I recall a presentation made by a retired Fire Chief…Alan
Brunacini who grew and changed the culture of the Phoenix Fire Department with
the mantra of ‘be nice.’ It was his way
to ensure that his employees focused on treating the public respectfully. He was successful with this narrow effort. Unfortunately, Chief Brunacini relates that
his agency slid backwards with the new administration not continuing his
commitment to the public.
The culture of an agency must be cultivated
continuously. It is a tenuous
quality. It takes total commitment by
the entire agency, not just the top cop.
