Introduction
Throughout my career, I have worked so hard to become Chief of Police for Mississippiville. It is for this reason that I am delighted to be among the finalists to become Mississippiville’s new chief of police. I am certainly aware of the challenges the city has been facing and believe that I can do what it takes to restore order and sanity if allowed to serve the city’s next chief of police. Despite being cognizant of the fact that the previous chief of police had to resign due to work-related pressure, this has not dampened my spirit and I am determined to make a difference in the department.
Since we are born with different abilities, the failure of one person does not imply the failure of others. Someone else can succeed where another has failed. I am therefore not cowed by the failures and difficulties of the former regime. Having attended and completed a degree course in criminal justice, I now have a better understanding of leadership and justice matters, and this will enable me to turn things around in the police department.
In this proposal, I would like to explain how I intend to address the different challenges that I will be facing as the city’s chief of police. Considering that the safety of the community will depend on me, I am prepared to give my best and will leave nothing to chance to accomplish the objectives that I will set for the department. Specifically, I will talk about issues concerning the operations of the police department and how I will have them addressed.
Ensuring Effectiveness in the Police Department
To succeed, I will have to deal with various issues that are of concern to the department and the community. In the recent past, the department has been under attack because of poor practices and lack of ethics in personnel decisions leading to the hiring of new employees, poor career development, and poor discipline among the officers. As far as this is concerned, I will set a team that will come up with policies, standards, and procedures to guide all officers in the city’s police department.
The administrative structure that is currently in place is extremely incompetent, and I will have the structure completely overhauled. Whereas policies are good to have, they can only work when every officer decides to be fully committed to following them as required. I will therefore take it upon myself to see to it that officers in the department adhere to the policies that will be formulated. In coming up with these policies, my key agenda will be to address the various concerns that have affected the operations of the city’s police department for years.
Regarding unhealthy practices in hiring and career development, I will form a committee that will be devoted to streamlining the operations of the human resources department and ensuring that officers are hired and promoted fairly. The committee will be given the responsibility of developing policies and standards that will guide every stage of the hiring process. Assisted by members of the human resources department, I will work to ensure that the policies are strictly adhered to by all employees in the police department. The human resource section will also formulate a policy for handling cases of misconduct by officers.
Even though I will be required to work with the city mayor as part of the past regime that failed to meet the expectations of the community, I am optimistic that his attitude will not affect my reforms agenda. I will be ready to work with the mayor for the good of the department as well as the community, and nothing will deter me from taking tough decisions that will bring the desired change in the department.
Every officer in the department will be expected to fully cooperate with management and any cases of indiscipline will be forwarded to the disciplinary committee. I will also dedicate time to reinforce policies through a sensitization process that will include all officers. It is certainly in the interest of all officers to make sure that they fully understand the requirements of the policies that will be formulated.
Ensuring that everyone is aware of the existence of the policies and the consequences of not following them is very important for clearing any misunderstandings between officers and management. Generally, policies simplify the work of the disciplinary committee since they help eliminate arguments. With clear policies in place, little resistance will be encountered from any officer found to be guilty.
I will ensure those police officers engage in well-organized public campaigns aimed at restoring the police department’s image in the face of the media and the general community. This will be accomplished by working very closely with the media fraternity. It will be important for the department to make them part of the change by getting to cover transformations in the department as they take place. Undoubtedly, the media plays a very important role in influencing the way people think and act. Consequently, it will be to the advantage of the police department to stay in touch with the media team as it makes changes in its operations.
Through such engagements, the reforms in the police department will be exposed to the community which will alter their perception of the department and renews their confidence in it. I will, however, require the support of management for this to succeed. The campaigns will, for example, require enormous financial resources, and the department will have to provide for this. Given what is at stake, the police department should be ready to provide the needed resources.
The problem of racial disparity in the police department must also be addressed immediately. With the help of the human resources managers, I will ensure that the hiring process is fair and just. Deliberate efforts must be made by the human resource department to ensure that all the recruitments are carried out very carefully and that every applicant stands an equal chance of being hired. Among other things, dealing with a disparity in the police department will enable me and my team to understand the challenges that are faced by minority groups in the community.
Equality in hiring and advancement must thus be observed at all levels within the police department. This will help motivate the minority group within the police department to give their best in all they do. Promoting equality will also play a big role in winning the confidence of minority groups in the community.
Specific Concerns and Possible Solutions
Many problems affect the city’s police department and that must be dealt with to improve operations. Over the years, for example, the police department has been facing a serious problem when it comes to recruiting and retaining female employees. This happens as a result of sexual harassment that is so rampant in the department. One of the strategies that will be employed to deal with this concern is to formulate and implement a strong policy that will require any officer, found to be guilty, to face charges. The responsibility of reinforcing the policy will be left to the disciplinary team. I will offer support to the disciplinary committee to ensure that the policies are implemented.
It has also been noted that most college-educated officers are afraid of working for the police department because of the stigma that is associated with working in an undisciplined environment. As in the above case, a strong disciplinary policy will be useful for ensuring that officers in the department maintain a very high level of discipline. Being disciplined will eventually create an advantageous working atmosphere in the police department and make it an attractive place to work in.
Many people do not take time to think about the responsibility of the police department to promote law and order in the community. For this reason, it will be important to create awareness in the community about the noble work that is done by the police department.
Concerning the high levels of sick and annual leaves being associated with the numerous extracurricular activities that officers are required to engage in from time to time, it will help to let everyone know why officers have to be involved in such activities. An important consideration for one to work in the police department is that he or she must be fit. The extracurricular activities are thus extremely useful, and all the officers must take part to remain physically fit to work in the police department.
In addition, taking part in such activities is good for their health. Taking annual leave allows officers to recover from fatigue and to spend their free time with their family members. After the annual leave period, officers can return to work more encouraged, motivated, and ready to work effectively. Since the work of a police officer can be stressful at times, all officers require time to rest from their official duties and get refreshed. Both officers and members of the community should understand that taking leave, either sick or annual, is good and quite refreshing.
There are also fears that officers routinely exercise speech that ends up harming the reputation of the police department. To address this concern, I will ensure that a policy is developed that requires every officer in the police department to take full responsibility for their actions. For this to bear fruitful, all officers will be trained and equipped with skills for effective and responsible communication while on duty.
I will therefore constitute a committee that will be responsible for running a training program to equip the officers with the necessary communication skills. Considering that the goal of all these activities is to eventually create a good impression of the police department, no nasty incident will be treated lightly. Every act of negligence by an officer will be dealt with serious attention, and, where it is deemed necessary, disciplinary action will be taken against the guilty officers. I believe that taking such strict measures will help to instill a high level of discipline among the officers in the police department.
Regarding the issue raised about the city’s police department failing to recognize and follow the mandates of many required federal policies such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disability Act (ADA), and Pregnancy Discrimination, I will do everything possible to make sure that such mandates are respected and observed by all officers in the police department. Upon employment, all officers will be required to sign a contract that stipulates what is expected of them. I will ensure that every single officer in the police department is introduced to these mandates and familiarized with their requirements.
In addition, I will have a policy developed by the human resources section to address any problems associated with a lack of adherence to federal mandates. If an officer is found to be guilty, necessary steps will be taken to ensure that he or she is appropriately disciplined. I also intend to have all officers sign consent forms to indicate that they agree with what the police department expects of them regarding the FMLA, ADA, and Pregnancy Discrimination.