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specific style of policing to ensure the best An agency should not solicit suggestions if it is
results for the community in which they serve; not prepared to implement at least some of the
some agencies will focus more on crime suggestions (de Vries, Jehn, & Terwel, 2011). If
fighting as opposed to prevention (Phibbs, it appears to the officer that administration is
2011). Administration can then communicate only trying to win points to improve morale
goals via forecasting, and individual officers and never intend to implement the individual’s
and teams are encouraged to come up ideas, input from officers will come to a stop. In
innovative solutions in order to obtain a worst case scenario, an officer will become
department and individual goals. How goals frustrated, hostile, and uncooperative with
are to be accomplished is decided on by the fellow officers. Allowing officers the
teams, thus allowing officer ownership in opportunity to voice their opinions can be a
project development. It provides the lower positive initiator for change.
level officer with a vested interest into the In addition, police work has become largely
department. focused on community and crime-prevention.
An agency’s success will be impacted by the This has placed a greater demand on selective
selected officer’s ability to fit within the activity and a higher commitment of police
operation structure. Often, once hired, an officers (Steinheider, & Wuestewald, 2008).
individual’s expectations greatly differ from Police officers involvement in decision-making
reality thus impacting the aura surrounding process for the department has shown to
officers’ association with the agency. This will increase commitment to the department;
affect the officer’s career-long commitment. however, this has not been adopted within
When an officer’s desires and expectations most law enforcement organizations.
become reality, the officer’s performance will Police officers in many departments are
be greater. Officers will expend energy, effort simply deployed to sectors or beats without any
and enthusiasm when an agency’s mission, direction or research-based applications in the
vision, and priorities align with the officer’s ways to reduce crime. Police departments
beliefs. should seek out qualified officers within their
Another downfall of the bottom-up method agency who can offer them the unique
of supervision is that it may not be as effective perspectives they can bring. Agencies rely on
if the current top-down management the opinions and experience of the
administrators are not on board with the idea. administration-level officers without allowing
Bottom-up management positions are created the valuable input from lower-level employees,
so that they have opportunity as well as clout some of whom have similar training and skill-
within an organization. Bottom-up sets. By having their input, agencies can have
management challenges the role of a manager. the best of both worlds. The department’s
With the implementation of the bottom-up administration should find these officers within
approach, managers may feel that their status their department and stop relying solely on the
or power has been taken away. It also could opinions of their administration staff.
make the implementation process of the new
management style difficult to deploy if RECOMMENDATION
managers are not on board with the idea. Law enforcement agencies should
To counter this downfall, an agency must implement leadership from the bottom up. Law
ensure that when giving an individual officer a enforcement organizations are challenged to
voice, the agency actively listens to the officer. identify factors impacting an officer’s initiative,
March/April 2021 www.texaspoliceassociation.com • (512) 458-3140 13
