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and it's something we agreed to when we intention on promoting. We developed a
enrolled in this vocation. We don't make the culture among our officers from the line officers
rules, we enforce them. We work under the to the chief. It was a lesson I learned and one I
rules that are granted by the people. The rules was able to implement as a Department Chief at
are changing constantly and most in this a large organization later in my career. One of
profession know that cops hate change. the most important quotes I recall from an IACP
leadership school that I went to many years ago
We are great at efficiency and once we get is something I continue to tell the supervisors I
comfortable with something, we're pretty darn have under my command. The instructor told
good at it. Notoriously, just as soon as we get us to “lead up one level and mentor down two.”
good at it the rules change. With each They all need to see the big picture and keep
legislative session we get new training, new focused on the mission. Every time you step up
laws, new technology and new policies and into a new position of leadership you should
practices. We should accept as individuals that have a strategic plan with clear achievable goals
we are people in the people business. This is a in mind. Some of the best trainers I had in my
very interesting time in policing. Today we have life we're informal leaders who loved what they
a large span in the age gap among police did and were willing to share those skills with
officers across the country. I was born in the me.
1970’s and for years I worked as the youngest
officer in my department. Over time I worked Remember that most case law and best
with many in my age group and now after practices policies were established as a result of
working almost 20 years and I'm the second something bad that happened to a police
oldest in my department and I'm hiring department that no one wants your agency to
millennials to fill line officer spots. I've been repeat. Some of you reading this might
blessed to have the opportunity to work in remember why the word “HOT” is on
various agencies and I had several mentors who McDonalds coffee cups so listen to your
were not all officers with rank, many of them mentors don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.
from other agencies. Some of the most Change in police work could be like trying to
influential officers I worked with were line board a moving train without getting a running
officers who were willing to share their skills start. If we are stagnant, we will get hurt, draw
with me. Field Training Officers, co-workers, complaints, or worse, we die. If we want to
some were first line supervisors and some build a positive professional legacy, we need to
chiefs. be forward-thinking, open minded, and
empower a culture of positive mentorship.
When I became a supervisor one of the most
important things that we did in the organization Over the years even as a supervisor I heard
I worked in was in realizing that we were officers at some point in their career complain
obligated to address change and embrace that they weren't allowed to go to a training
modern policing by building and promoting class or their agency didn’t pay for them to go to
legacy through mentorship. We adapted by training. It might have been a rejected request
creating best practices policies, forward to send three officers to a tactical ninja school
thinking training, building community trust, and in Las Vegas over a weekend or a budgetary
preparing every officer to lead by exposing issue in which great officers could not be sent to
them to supervisor training even if they had no quality training. I try to remind officers that they
2 www.texaspoliceassociation.com • 866-997-8282 Texas Police Journal
