NCJ Number
221858
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 75 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2008 Pages: 42-44
Date Published
January 2008
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article identifies the 10 most common errors that new police chiefs commit and how to avoid them.
Abstract
One common error is the failure to listen. Listening skills are critical to a new chief's survival. New chiefs should spend time with staff throughout the organization, soliciting their views about their needs and suggestions for improving the department's effectiveness. A second error is the failure to budget properly. Studying the prior administration's fiscal budget, noting its successes and shortcomings, is a useful way to start constructing a new budget. Frequent consultation with the finance director can facilitate good decisions toward a balanced budget appropriately based on departmental priorities. A third error is the failure to create a strategic plan/vision. The development of a strategic plan is critical to a chief's success. It should cover what the department hopes to achieve 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years down the road. A fourth error is failure to deal with politics. Being politically astute is necessary for survival. This requires understanding the motivations and concerns of elected officials that bear upon the department's work. A fifth error is the failure to learn, cultivate, and manage the organizational culture. Part of managing the culture is assessing its features and instilling strong organizational values that should be central to the department's mission. Other errors are the failure to meet with community leaders, the failure to assess the agency's capabilities for meeting departmental goals, the failure to choose words carefully, the failure to take time to assess the agency's current methods of operation and their effectiveness before making any major changes, and the failure to develop a relationship with local media.