Page 14 - March April 2021 TPA Journal

EDITOR’S NOTE
During the curriculum planning process which followed the Texas Legislature’s creation of what
was originally known as the Law Enforcement Management Institute (now The Bill Blackwood
Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas) in the late 1980’s, the curriculum committee
identified the need for each candidate to research a topic of importance to the candidate or
his/her department and write an academically acceptable paper on their findings. These
research papers currently reside in the Sam Houston State University Library in Huntsville. It is
our intention to publish selected papers in the Texas Police Journal from time to time in an effort
to showcase the work of the candidates and to provide valuable information to our readers.

The Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas
Leadership from the Bottom Up

By Stoney Ward, Little Elm Police Department, Little Elm,Texas, February 2019

ABSTRACT leading from the bottom up, due to the
Police departments have evolved over the inefficiencies associated with it, as well as
years due to the demands that citizens placed requiring buy in from all members of the police
on them. As a result, police departments are agency. These downfalls cause police
constantly seeking the most updated method to administration to shy away from incorporating
be an efficient and effective department that this model of hierarchy in the organization.
citizens can be proud of. Police department However, the benefits of leading from the
have adapted technological advances to reach a bottom up will outweigh the negative stigma
large number of citizens in the smallest amount associated with it.
of time. However, police departments fail to
look at their organization structures to be INTRODUCTION
effective by soliciting input from the front line Organizational behaviors are comprised of
officer. many different components, ranging from
Leadership from the bottom up will assist individuals all the way to teams throughout a
police administrator in moving closer to an police department. A police department’s
efficient, well-managed, and well-led culture is a reflection of its policies, structure,
organization. Not only do police departments and procedures that assist police administration
need to adopt the most-efficient crime fighting in managing the teams. An administration’s
model, but they also need to collaborate with choice of leadership style, ability to
the officers in their own agencies to implement communicate, and interactions with officers in
it. The front line officers have valuable a positive manner will motivate officers in
experiences that will assist police reaching a department’s goal (Perry, 2007, p. 2).
administrators in accomplishing organizational Human nature tends to believe a low-ranking
goals. Sadly, police departments are not taking officer cannot bring change to a department
advantage of these types of officers who possess and only senior officials can bring permanent
unique skill sets. There are downfalls with change.

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