Worth a Look: Are We Discouraging the Benefits of Taking Time Off?
One of the nastiest (and hopefully fading away) behind-the-scenes performance metrics in law enforcement, specifically as one advances through the organization, is the view that those who actually use earned time off are not committed. In worse cases, huge unused time banks are viewed as a badge of honor and indicative of hard core dedication. …
Worth a Look: Portland Police Only Find 3 Applicants Who Can Pass Background Amid Hiring Push
Is it possible for a police department to have it’s core and identity so drastically changed, that is no longer considered a place for police to work? This article posted in BlueLivesMatter gives pause for thought: https://defensemaven.io/bluelivesmatter/news/portland-police-only-find-3-applicants-who-can-pass-background-amid-hiring-push-gLw_Zu3I4U2CAfwSk73UpA/ Share the post “Worth a Look: Portland Police Only Find 3 Applicants Who Can Pass Background Amid Hiring…
Worth a Look: The Death of Proactive Policing Will Lead Americans to More Gravesites
Jim McNeff, editor-in-chief of Law Enforcement Today offers an interesting editorial in Law Enforcement today titled The Death of Proactive Policing Will Lead Americans to More Gravesites. Overly dramatic? Hard to say. Read the article linked above and let me know what you think. ________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2018 DAVID A. LYONS Share the post “Worth a…
Worth a Look: 5 Leadership Habits You Absolutely Want for Developing Trust
A fantastic list by Marcel Schwantes, Principal and founder, Leadership From the Core, as published on line at Inc. This might be the most applicable I have seen for police leadership. Employees Naturally Trust Leaders That Show These 5 Powerful Habits ________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2016 DAVID A. LYONS Thanks for the read! Please Share This Post &…
Worth a Look: policemisconduct.net
When someone says “police never get in trouble” or “never get punished when they do something wrong”….. One of the many false narratives that the policing industry is swimming upstream against these days is that there is no accountability for ‘their’ actions. Police are allowed to run wild, unchecked, and of course, unrepentant. We know that…
Police: Are We ‘Beating’ Ourselves Out of Efficiency?
Calls for Service If we were to take a close look at efficiency in police departments, an area that could be of concern would be the response times to calls for service in the community. Not necessarily the emergency priority calls; we know that those are usually (hopefully) expedited, but the non emergency service calls….
Redux: Dragon Slayer? Or Justice System Pariah?
Just a tad over a year ago I published a post titled “Dragon Slayer? Or Justice System Pariah” (please take a minute to click and read). This was simply an objective offering regarding charges filed against a handful of Baltimore police officers in the Freddie Gray custodial death case, by Baltimore’s state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby. I posed…
What if GE’s Jack Welch Was A Police Chief?
Good Cops, Bad Cops Most of us have had jobs at one time or another where there is always THAT person or THAT clique that doesn’t seem to be pulling their weight, or, who are so toxic that they are hard to work with. They ruin morale and in the worst cases, seem to embarrass…
The Only Victim in “Making a Murderer” Is Going Unnoticed
There is only one victim in the Making a Murderer series, and it is not the killer. Please share a photo of Teresa far and wide; so everyone can be reminded who she is. © 2015 DAVID A. LYONS Share the post “The Only Victim in “Making…
The Power of Feedback in Modern Policing
Did you just say something? A couple of years ago I was working on my capstone for my graduate degree. Combining my nerd and perfectionist traits, I had decided to look into the quality of police reports (aka: Improving Police Incident Reporting: Raw Data Quality Characteristics and the Review Process). As with so many other things in…
Worth a Look: “Whats Your 20?” on Facebook
There are many social networking platforms and places for police to be ‘police’ on the Internet. Some better than others. Many are rather depressing, unfortunately necessary for LEOs to vent and blow off steam in this crazy world right now. One of the best I have seen to date is “Whats Your 20?” on Facebook. It…
Selecting Police Candidates ‘IN’, Instead of ‘OUT’
Where We Were… Well, over 20 years ago, I reported to a large auditorium to take a written test for the position of a police recruit. The auditorium was filled with hundreds (and I mean hundreds, nearing 1000) of other applicants taking the same test. Months later when I was selected, I was part of a…
FERGUSON CROWD CONTROL AFTER ACTION REPORT
This is making the rounds and is definitely a timely and good read in today’s environment, found at the Daigle Law Group. Review of DOJ Report of Ferguson Crowd Control Your thoughts? © 2015 DAVID A. LYONS Share the post “FERGUSON CROWD CONTROL AFTER ACTION REPORT” Facebook X Share…
Worth a Look: Fixing Kentucky’s Broken Windows
A little local flavor; and a good read. © 2015 DAVID A. LYONS Share the post “Worth a Look: Fixing Kentucky’s Broken Windows” Facebook X Share…
Criminal Justice Researcher Needed!
All I have a Criminal Justice undergrad student that needs to conduct a brief interview with a Criminal Justice researcher for a class she is currently taking. The assignment requires a contact outside of Kentucky, so I thought this would be an ideal way of finding someone to assist her. I you fit the bill and…
Worth a Look: The Thin Blue Line of Leadership Blog
Just found a really good blog that is worth a look: The Thin Blue Line of Leadership. The blog posts are practical and well developed. Take a minute, and take a look! © 2015 DAVID A. LYONS Share the post “Worth a Look: The Thin Blue Line of Leadership Blog” Facebook X Share…
If I Wanted to Be a Cop, I Would….?
I am looking for a bit of help. I will be teaching a fundamental police studies class for the upcoming fall term. Most of the students will be freshmen or sophomores that are interested in careers in policing or other areas of the criminal justice system. I had a thought that throughout the program I would…
Good Guys, Bad Guys and Shame
Good Guys, Bad Guys and Shame. Three simple words that have been quietly disposed of by politically correct disciples. For police officers, watch this 2005 editorial from WDRB in Louisville Kentucky, and be reminded that these three things are still around, and you are on the right side of history. © 2015 DAVID A. LYONS…
Worth a Look: In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me.
We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us. Marshall McLuhan Perspective. Sometimes we need to see things from different sides of an issue to get a better understanding of what is going on. Most of the current dialogue about “the militarization of the police” is exaggerated. The term…
Where are the Answers to Stop Urban Violence?
A question. OK. Several questions. But the big question, the point of this post, is where are the answers to stop urban violence? I ask this because we can all agree that street violence is, and has been, off the hook for some time now. That we know. Even despite the gazillion theories about why…
Worth a Look: Did Performance Measurement Cause America’s Police Problem?
Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene recently published an interesting article in Governing titled Did Performance Measurement Cause America’s Police Problem? The article is definitely worth a few minutes to read. Sparrow points out that the two most commonly used measures of police work — crime reduction and enforcement productivity “fail to reflect the very best…
Will the Proliferation of Police Video Finally End Miranda?
Wearable video, or ‘body cams’, is certainly the new hot topic in policing these days. For that matter, it’s all over the public and political forums as well. Many agencies will start using them soon if they have not all ready; ink wet on policies that are sure to go through several changes before the…
Worth a Look: Sheriff builds kinder, gentler police force
Here is an interesting article that posted this week in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune: Sheriff builds kinder, gentler police force Wood County Sheriff Thomas Reichert has a new, two-word policy that he wants every deputy in his department to adopt as a mantra: Be nice. I feel pretty sure that just the words kinder and…
Dragon Slayer? Or Justice System Pariah?
If Baltimore City’s States Attorney Marilyn Mosby has this right, the prosecution of the 6 Baltimore officers, she has knocked it out of the ballpark. A straight up home run. The dragon has been slayed. Mosby has fulfilled the function of her office and her responsibility to the community. I am not saying this sarcastically…
POOGI for Police: An Introduction
What is POOGI? The process of ongoing improvement. POOGI. Sometimes described as or considered in discussions surrounding continuous improvement, but regardless of the name or acronyms, its found in the most successful companies and corporations. Lean, Six Sigma, the Theory of Restraints, green belts, black belts; perplexing terms and references until they are explained and…
Worth a Look: On Female Leadership in the Workplace
I found an interesting piece today, On Female Leadership in the Workplace, by Sofia Jasmine Sheth of Condé Nast. The author’s perspective and advice regarding women in leadership roles is unique given she cites the style and behavior of a mentor of hers. The article made me curious. Just how far has the female presence in the…
Worth a Look: How police, community interact – and why it matters
A very interesting read crafted by Amanda Van Benschoten, of the The Enquirer, with more to come. Relationships are more important than ever, and in some places, long overdue. © 2015 DAVID A. LYONS Share the post “Worth a Look: How police, community interact – and why it matters” Facebook X Share…
Women’s Law Enforcement Symposium on April 11, 2015
Share this now! The mission of the symposium is to educate, inspire and empower women to become law enforcement professionals for the city of Lexington. Meet female officers and openly discuss the challenges, rewards, security and prestige in becoming Lexington’s Finest. Questions? Email:joinlexpd@lexingtonpolice.ky.gov © 2015 DAVID A. LYONS Share the post “Women’s Law Enforcement Symposium…
Worth a Look: What the Police Will Never Be
Policing takes on new roles and methods regularly; its how we stay up-to-date and actively participate in the process of ongoing or continuous improvement. If we are not watching our environment, we are on our way to trouble. But there is one thing that police will never be. Ever. Responding to the fire storm of…
Worth a Look: 7 Habits Of People With Remarkable Mental Toughness
Jeff Haden’s 7 Habits of People With Remarkable Mental Toughness published at Inc.com may be one of the timeliest pieces for law enforcement officers. We traditionally look at toughness in terms of physical survival, but these days, we need to make sure we are mentally prepared for the loud and boisterous criticism of us as individuals, and…
Worth a Look: 10 Sentences Good Managers NEVER Say – EVER
Leadership failures in law enforcement can lead to catastrophic consequences for the agency, it’s personnel and the community. Blunders do not have to be earth shattering; they are more harmful and toxic in small doses over time. Take a look at Bernard Marr‘s article 10 Sentences Good Managers NEVER Say – EVER, and count how many of…
Worth a Look: Ethical Breakdowns
Scott Bellinger, a Police Academy Commander and Instructor at Munroe Falls Police Academy, recently shared an excellent article from Harvard Business Review in the LinkedIn FBI-Law Enforcement Executive Development Association group. Ethical Breakdowns, by Max H. Bazerman and Ann E. Tenbrunsel, is valuable for two reasons. First, even though there is no reference to the policing industry in the…
The Tyranny of the Police Org Chart
It happened again. I am listening to someone give a speech or presentation and something they say sparks my brain and yells, “that’s EXACTLY what happens!”. It’s especially profound when the topic is a little remote to policing. This time it was a talk on innovation and improvement in government based on experiences in the business…
Worth a Look: 3 Phrases That Will Instantly Calm Angry or Emotional People
Most of us in policing learn rather quickly that de-escalation is always preferred over escalation when it comes to situations that have the propensity to veer out of control or become violent. In better case scenarios, sometimes we need people to calm down if for nothing else, to get information we need from them. Sometimes…
Police: Are They Good or Bad?
What was the first thought that flashed through your mind when you read the title of this post? Did you pick a side? Good? Bad? Some are good? Some are bad? What kind of dumb question is that? What are you getting at? Building brand equity in the policing industry, that’s where this post is going….
7 Things That Improve the Quality of Police Services
Most of us know excellent customer service when we see it. The best experiences stay with us and we share them with people we know. I have had a few amazing experiences in the last year that have stood out. The ones that come to mind were not simply one customer service representative (which granted,…
Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (L.E.A.D.)
From the desk of Madeline Neumann, National President of Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.: Dear Chapter Representative and Fellow Survivor, National C.O.P.S. can no longer sit by and watch the law enforcement profession in this country be vilified, targeted and executed. We need to act NOW. The Board and our wonderful staff have prepared…
Worth a Look: 6 Ways Policemen Can Regain Credibility With The American Public
One would have to live under a rock to not see the turmoil surrounding the policing business these days. We’ve never been on the top of the Christmas card list, but there is a loud bunch of people inking us into the naughty list with a fat pen (pressing hard, making 5 copies). There are…
7 Things to Avoid If Change Scares You
Change. Not the kind you get back for a dollar at the store or find in the couch cushions, real change. Change for the sake of change. Change because the Big Ikes have nothing else to do. Change because they said so. Change that no matter what, leads to misery. If your really unlucky, talk…
Worth a Look: Why chiefs and trainers should be learning from street cops
While it is true that “ships run by democracy sink”; it is just as true that the captain relies on the crew to maintain the seaworthiness of the vessel and communicate her needs. Richard Fairburn’s Why chiefs and trainers should be learning from street cops on the PoliceOne.com website accurately details the importance of seeking out the…
Worth a Look: Better Community Policing through Horses
Flipping through Facebook, I stumbled on a neat article that is related to policing, from a website that is not law enforcement related. Many of the better things I find are from other perspectives and industries. The website horsechannel.com recently posted Better Community Policing through Horses. The article cites several key findings based on research conducted…
Worth a Look: 22 Habits of Unhappy People
I have seen several interesting articles lately covering some very welcomed topics; pieces about toxic and burned out employees, why police do not stay on the job very long, and most importantly, police suicides. 22 Habits of Unhappy People, posted on infobarrel.com, caught my attention. I am not real big on some of the lists posts on the…
Never Break The Chain
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link…. Value. We all know what value looks and feels like. Every time we make a purchase or pay for a service, we want the best value we can get for our money. If we get the value we want and expect, we come back for…
Police & EBOLA; What Should Our Role Be?
According to a recent on-line report by the Daily Mail, New York City cops leave Ebola doctor’s apartment and dump their gloves and masks in a TRASH CAN; a video showed just that; officers removing personal protective equipment (PPE, minimal PPE I will add) and putting it in a waste bin on the street. The…
Get S.M.A.R.T. (Goals & Objectives)
If a strategy and strategic plan is the road map for where the police department is going, then goals and objectives are the vehicle that is used to get there. Once the agency moves a strategic vision to a plan, the CEO and staff will develop goals and objectives to bring the strategy to life and move…
Worth a Look: Strategic Management in Policing: The Role of the Strategic Manager
Proof that some things just do not go out of date. I stumbled upon an excellent article in Police Chief Magazine that I wanted to share that lays out a compelling argument for using a Strategic Manager in a police department. What a great way to conduct strategic planning. Does your agency have a person assigned…
Worth a Look: If You Don’t Have Anything Nice To Say, Don’t Say Anything At All
One of the unique leadership and management challenges in law enforcement that I have seen over the years is with regard to our civilian staff members. Most supervisors that I have known will say that supervising civilians is very different that supervising sworn personnel. I agree. I would never say it is more difficult, but…
Mission Control: Six Tips for Crafting Effective Mission Statements
Got a strategic vision set for the police department? Great; there is still work to do in order to punch through the strategic planning process. It’s time to gain some mission control. Strategic Vision vs. Mission Statement The strategic planning process does not end with the identification of the police department’s strategic vision. The vision…
Worth a Look: Five Keys to Better Time Management
If it is true that everything has a cost, it might be just as true that time itself is very expensive. Wasted time can have a financial cost (what we pay employees) as well as an opportunity cost (we could have been working on another project or task that would have yielded a better return on the…
20/20 Strategic Vision
What is a strategic vision? If a police agency takes on the strategic planning process, the early stages will find the police department CEO and staff members dealing with the challenge of determining the direction of the department in terms of the future. More specifically, long into the future. Once thoughtful conclusions have been made about the long-term…
Worth a Look: Workplace Conflict: The Continuum of Dispute Resolution
In the business we call policing, we usually find a continuum for Use of Force or Response to Resistance (if there is not one or something similar to it, problems are likely to arise). These are pretty much a true need for the external threats, but how do we handle conflicts internally and do we…
Worth a Look: Public Private Partnerships: Why Isn’t the U.S. More Experienced with Them?
I ran across Public Private Partnerships: Why Isn’t the U.S. More Experienced with Them? by Valerie Martinelli today and I started to wonder how many police agencies engage in similar relationships. Not so much general community partnerships; more of the written agreement or contractual types of agreements. Does your agency participate in PPPs, and if so, what are the…
Opportunity Cost in Policing
Strategic planning and project planning require the consideration of many details. The same tight focus that planning can require might also blind police planners from the broader picture which in turn could create difficulties down the road, maybe even cost the department a real want or need. One way to pull the lens back on a…
Worth a Look: Power to the People-the Formula for Super Customer Service
Customer service in policing starts (and sometimes ends) with the phone call to 911 and the response the patrol officers make to the call. The business world gives us the best advice to follow on the topic of customer service because businesses live or die based on the customer service delivered. It goes without saying…
5 Keys to Police Strategy Development & Execution
Coming up with a good idea is useless without plans for something to do with the idea. Ideas are just thoughts without a vision of where they will take you. A vision will need objectives and strategies to achieve them. Executing the strategy may end up being a waste of time if no one is…
Strategic Planning
If the topic of strategy is brought up in the police world, more than likely the conversations that follow will include topics that range from dealing with a suspect that has barricaded himself in a house, how to address an uptick in a particular type of crime or how to address budget cuts that are…
Worth a Look: The Myth of Multitasking
Can we really: “Do more with less”? “Add more to the plate without something sliding off the other side”? “Just wear one more hat”? No. Quit fooling yourself. But in tight times that lead to reductions in resources and personnel, organizations will certainly ask for more from less. Jen Roberts offers some real good advice that…
Worth a Look: 5 simple rules for managing your police agency’s budget
Right after I posted Everything Has A Cost, I received an email alert that linked to an article by Barry Reynolds posted to PoliceOne.com titled 5 simple rules for managing your police agency’s budget . Barry leads the article by remarking: Most police executives enjoy the annual budget process about as much as they enjoy a double root canal……
Everything Has A Cost
It’s true. Nothing is free. Whether we see the up front cost that comes out of our wallet or the cost in terms of the time it takes to get something done, there are no free rides. This universal truth extends to the policing industry, though the lack of a set of financial books that…
The Police Business Unit
Police departments, with very few exceptions, are operated with incredible finesse. Given the complex and dynamic nature of the services they provide, coupled with the social, political and economic influences that shape the strategies that they develop, they out-perform many other service industries. A challenge that most agencies will continue to face is related to…
Worth a Look: How Not To Care
Good, or better yet, excellent customer service requires a culture that cultivates, expects and demonstrates the same. Jonathan Raymond’s article on EMyth, How Not to Care, offers valuable insights about the perceptions the community may have; whether we are sincere or disingenuous. The policing customer experience starts with the phone call to the 911 operator and continues through the…
Worth a Look: How does a Leader Build Respect and Trust into the Brand and Culture?
My posts, The Bottom Line and Monopoly: Your the Only Game in Town, challenge us to explore the importance of the police department’s reputation with the community that the department serves. It takes an extraordinary culture to develop and sustain exceptional relationships, and those cultures require unique leaders. This article by Michael Zeidenberg is a prime example…
Monopoly: You Are the Only Game in Town
When I posted The Bottom Line,I discussed the factor that drives businesses to succeed and excel; money. I also pointed out that absent the presence of a financial goal to make a profit, organizations, specifically police departments, require more difficult forces to strive for success and excellence. I made a passing reference to the thought that…
Great Article: Building Relationships vs. Building Leaders
Leaders are not leaders without followers, and relationships complete the bond. This is a great article by Doug McKinley of Xcellero Leadership & Associates in Family Care. Building Relationships vs. Building Leaders Share the post “Great Article: Building Relationships vs. Building Leaders” Facebook X Share…
The Bottom Line
The business of policing has nothing to do with turning a financial profit. I know some people believe that police departments go on raging ticket writing campaigns to ‘make more money’, but even in cases where some of the fees for tickets are returned to an agency, the amount of money that comes back is…
What Makes a Police Agency a Business?
So how can a police department be anything like a business? Lights, sirens, good guys, bad guys, TV shows and movies, the 6 o’clock news; it all looks too sporadic and out of hand to be anything like a business. We know the cops are there (not to everyone’s liking of course); they come when…
Worth a Look: 10 Things Only Exceptional Bosses Give Employees
Here is a terrific article by Jeff Haden that details tips that will create a better working environment and retain the people that we need on the job. These could have been written for police officers! Share the post “Worth a Look: 10 Things Only Exceptional Bosses Give Employees” Facebook X Share…
Employee Turnover is Very Bad Thing
Some businesses operate in such a way that high employee turnover is not a threat. If you are in one of those business that is terrific. Policing is not one though. The costs of recruiting, equipping, training and deploying qualified personnel is higher than most industries, so a police department’s strategy should always provide for…
The Business of Policing
Many years ago, I found myself and some friends talking to a veteran police officer about what type of college education would be most helpful for becoming an officer. As genuine ‘wanna be’ teenagers, we were all convinced that police administration degrees (now called criminal justice degrees) would be the obvious choice. I will never…