TOUGH MINDED SUPERVISION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

foreign trouble man what seems to be the problem here [Music] on the call meet Joe Batten internationally known Authority on management and supervision author of the all-time best-selling book tough-minded management Mr Batten has applied his tested principles of supervision II police work advising police departments law enforcement organizations professional groups and government agencies a police Sergeant's Job Calls for a unique kind of supervision unlike the industrial plant Foreman who is within shouting distance of the men he directs the police Sergeant may be miles away from the men in his command a police Sergeant cannot simply glance across the room check the effectiveness of the work being done he may not see an error being made he may not be on hand to repeat instructions or even know that the men are on the job all the time police sergeants are also unique in the type of men they supervise for Sergeants direct men who are in a way supervisors themselves a patrolman enforces the law in his sector the people in his area in a very real sense are under his Direction good patrolmen are also independent thinkers they must be able to act quickly without Direction when the need arises and so the very qualities of Independence and Leadership that makes good patrolmen May at the same time make the Sergeant's job of supervising quite different and tougher than that of a platformer today's police Sergeant must be equipped with supervisory skills and a method that gets things done he must know what the department wants know where he's going and must lead his men he uses judgment courage Integrity warmth and compassion in dealing with his subordinates I call this method tough-minded supervision there's a label tough mindedness start on you let's get it straight don't confuse tough-mindedness with hard-headedness tough is not the same as hard this rock is hard rigid unyielding if I strike at a sudden blow it may shatter this leather ball glove is tough it's flexible it's durable if I strike it it can take the blow a hard mind you see is like the rock rigid and unbending it can't contend with problems and blows that occur in a law enforcement job a tough mind has a built-in flexibility it is firm but fair it is a positive listener it builds on strengths it has high expectations it develops people these are some of the basic rules of tough-mindedness now let's see them applied to police supervision what do you think of this sergeant good night sergeant well Tom before you take off I want you to rewrite these reports they're all wrong four reports you want me to do four reports over again now are there no good Tom they're full of holes I never had this many reports turned back from Sergeant Yates I'm not a writer I'm a cop oh it's up to me you're going to be a damn good cop I'll do them over now oh come on sarge I promised I take my wife out tonight it's going to take a half hour to do this paperwork over look how about let me fix them up tomorrow okay no do them now I have to take them upstairs tonight you know Sarge uh you've only had this job what about two weeks what are you trying to prove something you're gonna do those reports over again and you are going to do them right hold it that's not right the next time you find yourself pointing the finger at someone else take a look at your hand one finger points toward the other guy but three of them point back at you ask yourself what you've done to contribute to this situation what could you have done to prevent it the sergeant needs to do several things first he must communicate why the reports are not acceptable as they are up to now he's only ordered Tom to do them over second he must build on one of the man's strengths his known ability as an investigator and third he must show the man he isn't doing Justice to himself when he doesn't report in full the investigation he has made let's see how this situation should be handled so let me explain what I mean Pump a chair now there's just too many blank spaces here information that's important is missing I'll take this one you need to list Suspects on this Personnel or there weren't any see well let's see 1300 ninth and Grand no suspects aren't any any Witnesses yeah there were a couple in fact I've listed them right down here two of them and uh they think they they know what the guy looks like when I talk to them and in fact they think even works around that area well then you've done some investigating huh oh I sure did but this report doesn't show that see I'll take this there isn't enough narrative written on a stolen car case do you have any idea of the circumstances surrounding it I know that the family dropped a set of keys in the parking lot well then you know more than you've written here so you've done some investigating you're not taking credit for them how about this one this is too many empty Blanks on this one there's more empty than filled these should be completed so well but see these didn't apply and Sergeant Yates knew that when we just left them blank like that they didn't apply the manual instructs us to write n a if the space is not applicable we write in n a it's very important to answer all the questions Tom and your job is done right so anybody can pick up this report and know exactly what happened now fill all the blanks all right I just figured you had skipped the questions when you didn't answer them and fill them with spaces you've done some good investigating and you did consider all the questions make your reports reflect the work you do it's all part of being a good police officer okay Tom all right okay thanks Serge all right Sergeant Turner has just applied a tough-minded principle build on strengths don't focus on weaknesses the sergeant was correct in telling the patrolman to rewrite his reports Tama had done a sloppy job of handling his paperwork but the sergeant should have been specific in the very beginning in Telling Tom what was wrong with the reports and why Sergeant Turner didn't communicate anything in the beginning of that little confrontation other than the fact that he was ordering Tom to write the reports over he focused on the patrolman's weakness that's poor reporting he didn't tell him why it was important to fill out the reports properly or how to improve his work and it takes no brains no guts to Simply dwell on the weakness of another officer especially if you have the rank on him but it does take brains and it does take guts to turn the situation into an opportunity to build the man by focusing on the strength of the patrolman his ability as an investigator the sergeant can build into his men The Pride to report a capable job of investigating if the sergeant continued to Simply hammer on the man's weakness poor reporting the chances are good that this is just what he'd continue to get from the guy the sergeant would also beat down and help to destroy the patrolman's self-confidence to build a strong patrolman you see so that his weaknesses can gradually be eliminated it's essential that you constantly look for and build on his present and potential strengths like many of us Sergeant Turner has trouble communicating for communicating isn't all talk sometimes it's listening positive listening that means not merely thinking of what is to be your reply or waiting until the other man gets through talking positive listening means listening not only with your ears and your mind and your heart but with your eyes optic listening in determining the true feelings of another person non-verbal body communication the eyes the head the hands are far more reliable than what is said the science of body communication we call kinesics as police officers you know that the LIE detection courses have offered by law enforcement agencies put much more importance on the conflict between spoken testimony and body communication whenever there's a conflict the officer is urged to put greater significance on non-verbal communication for body communication is the language of the subconscious and try as hard as it can our subconscious cannot lie let's watch body communication contradict the spoken words of Sergeant Turner oh hey Bill what's on your mind well that's okay I'll wait until you're done with that sorry go ahead I'm listening uh well it's about my partner Tony martillo maybe I'd better come back later it's all right Bill sit on if it's important go ahead well Tony he's been acting kind of funny lately honey what do you mean funny is he sleeping in the cars he's not doing his job what well I don't know the other day we had a traffic problem that 73rd and walnut we just quit before we got the cars cleared out I mean the area was congested and all but he just insisted upon quitting I had the feeling that he couldn't take anymore so I didn't argue uh you know better Bill oh you tell your partner we don't quit assignments well Sergeant there's more to him than that I mean he's been a good partner until till just lately well we all have days when something is bugging us right okay Bill thanks for stopping by and to keep the traffic moving a lot of non-verbal communication went on between Sergeant Turner and Bill unfortunately Bill's knessics were ignored by Sergeant Turner but Sergeant Turner's canastics were very much picked up by the patrolmen the patrolman's physical actions should have told a sergeant and he was worried about his partner and that it was important to him to talk about it you see if Sergeant Turner had listened positively with his eyes he would have noticed the patrolman's nervous hesitancy in opening the subject he'd have seen the patrolman brace his spinal column shift his feet see Bill was concerned about his partner he wasn't trying to be a fake he wanted the sergeant to know what was bothering his partner and help him if he could the patrolman did listen with his eyes and was strongly affected by what he saw he saw Sergeant preoccupied with other business a sergeant who said he was listening but whose physical actions said he was not be a positive listener look at your men when they talk when you ignore non-verbal messages you are neglecting one of the basic means of communication don't put this needless communication on yourself be a positive listener a sergeant is part of management not just one of the boys a sergeant is a vital link between Administration which develops plans and operating orders and his subordinates the patrolmen who actually carry them out the sergeant has responsibilities to both groups a police Sergeant cannot hope to have this program carried through effectively and that's the underlying purpose and means of getting it done are clearly understood from the top of the organization to the level of execution our Sergeant must understand what is being done and why it is being done as it is and he must interpret this to his men the officer who doesn't understand the purpose and nature of a plan usually doesn't support it opening the way for failure now every Sergeant should help his men know the goal and know their role they see you and that's the police department see now before we leave I want to talk about those name plates that are supposed to appear on the sides of your car I'm offended the chief is trying something new he wants every placement to be known by his name in the area where he works now I've noticed that those plates are often missing on the cars in my district how do you explain that we just forget to put them on sarge and for a good reason you know I don't think that Deal's working out too well with my home life I really my wife got a call from some kid up there he just probably read the name on the on the side of the car and heads right for the phone and calls my wife well that's to be expected especially in the beginning you know when the people see the name plates for the first time but the order is name plates on to appear on the squad cars of the officers on duty Chief believes that if you're known by your name in the sector where you work you're more than just a cop you're a you're a person you're not just an anonymous uniform so keep those name plates visible and keep me informed on how the plates work out the positive effects along with the gripes and I'll pass the word along upstairs now let's talk about those days off for next week right the sergeant is concerned with the accomplishment of departmental objectives he candidly communicates those objectives to the various levels of command he owes it to the organization to be alert to the effectiveness of the plan in working it out so that adjustments can be made to meet unforeseen conditions and changing needs the only reason a patrolman receives a paycheck is for the accomplishment of objectives remember words like goal and objective simply mean what you want to get done a tough-minded sergeant knows each of the men on his team he knows that each must be viewed as a whole man a patrolman is a policeman 24 hours a day and it's the whole man who comes to work as a patrolman and it is the whole man who goes home a man has values attitudes and sometimes problems that he can't deposit when he leaves his house ignoring the whole man the sergeant must recognize a patrolman's full potential his strengths he knows the man's lifestyle knows the family difficulties or financial pressures a patrolman is a highly visible member of society but he is what he does what his attitudes are will affect the way the public sees the entire department Patrol patrolman's job puts complex demands on him he endures long periods of routine Patrol yet he must react quickly and effectively to problem situations he faces Divergent personal contacts victims of crimes criminals informers businessmen school officials residents in his district he must act effectively in a wide range of contacts he tolerates stress in a multitude of ways he experiences extreme and rapid changes of emotions as he goes from a traffic problem to murder from meeting a mob to finding a lost child who does that patrolman turn to for support in helping him cope with these demands the sergeant a tough-minded sergeant you see can help his subordinates put the situation into perspective and get rid of frustrations and solve his own problems with a tool we've mentioned before positive listening many times just by being an attentive positive listener you can provide the outlet an officer needs so that he can figure things out for himself in a rational way a person's behavior on and off the job should reflect the same set of values and attitudes just helping Amanda know himself through listening and a bit of thoughtful questioning will give him a solid base for working things out for himself preventing him from becoming a fragmented person playing many roles in which he tries to be everything to everyone so know the whole man and help him to know himself to do this it is essential that the sergeant know his own attitudes his own motives and his own drives Tony's off again tonight second time in a week that's just not like Tony hey that's what Bill said today in the office he was trying to tell me something what sure was fidgety man I was so busy with my paperwork I just didn't give him the attention he needed Bill's working alone tonight I think I'll collect his reports and have a little talk with him Coffeeville yeah thanks everything okay tonight yes sir thank you I see also more Teo is off again tonight second time this week you got any idea why no sir but I know that he's your friend I know you've been worried after all he's your partner they're both very good officers you work well together you got a right to be concerned yeah I I got a feeling something's wrong yesterday he backed out of a fight we had to break up I found myself going it alone is that right backed out huh well not at first I mean he got into it but then he just sort of gave up even apologized afterwards hmm how long has he been like this I don't know maybe 10 days okay don't let this bug here I don't want the situation to worry you you've shown your responsibility by your concern now it's my job to check into it I'll see what I can do thanks for the report thanks for the coffee when a patrolman acts differently than is usual for him the sergeant needs to find the reason Sergeant Turner had two men who were not themselves Bill's difficulty was obvious he was anxious about his partner and friend the sergeant set Bill's mind at ease when he allowed the patrolman to talk about his concern really listening to the man this time the problem with patrolman mortia was not as easy up to now Tony was a dedicated patrolman now he's taking time off without reasonable explanation he's quitting assignments before completion holds back in assisting his partner a physical cause could account for Tony's Behavior Tony's been kind of out of gear for about 10 days what happened 10 days ago an argument could Tony have been injured and not reported it there may be other reasons a touch of arthritis an ulcer a psychological problem for the sake of the patrolman and the department the reason must be found check the activity logs have a talk with Tony a Sergeant's job is to make sure his men's abilities are fully used the full abilities of a sick or injured man are not properly used on assignments that require endurance or strength that's why we need to know the whole man knowing the whole man includes knowing his potential what a man is capable of achieving now most people don't realize their possibilities don't know how much they can grow each individual needs to know the results by which he'll be judged and he needs standards that give him stretch having high expectations for a man is the way to help him stretch to achieve New Heights in his word this kind of stretch is essential for the growing changing effective patrolmen in the following scene the sergeant has some pretty high expectations watch well this report it's good you got some good information on that suspect yeah the guys wearing a trench coat with some red paint on the right sleeve that's good you got his nickname too I see yeah he's called quirky and this girl works at the Astro bar okay you got some good leads to go on now the dicks are pretty busy with Major Crimes to go and follow this one up it'll be cold before they get to it I want you to have this man in jail my shift change tomorrow night what are you kidding that's impossible far from it I expect to have Corky at headquarters in 24 hours Check your watch I'll see you later Sergeant expects a lot doesn't he setting high expectations you see begins with ourselves Sergeant Turner has committed himself to being a first-rate professional at his job he'll settle for nothing less in doing so he fixes an example of Excellence for his men to follow he can then expect that same degree of hard work and loyally promise men don't expect second-rate work from your patrolman and don't accept what you look for is what you get if you expect the worst from your men you will get it and if you expect the best you will get that you do a man of favor when you require his best it shows that you respect him that you believe in his confidence ignoring an officer's real and potential abilities by settling for second-rate work can destroy a patrolman's dignity his confidence drive and potential patrolmen make gripe when he receives an order to achieve more than he thinks he can do but after he's had a successful stretching experience he has more confidence in himself as his supervisor you've shown you cared about his development and given him reason to value your judgment and Leadership as sergeants are often tempted to be answer men for the men in their squad it's an easy trap to fall into because it takes less time at the outset to answer a question than to help a man come up with an answer himself but sometimes in an emergency there's no recourse other than to tell a man what to do to stop him from making a mistake but the process of thinking things through is an exercise that builds mental muscle in the patrolman it's training for a sergeant too it means that he has to come up with penetrating questions instead of simple answers counsel your men don't just advise them as by advising you see is telling another person what to do but counseling is enabling him to see for himself what he should do how to do it and why he should do it he took it I guess he thought my back was turned all right what's your name Randy McDonald Randy McDonald you know Randy you've been accused of shoplifting now I want you to listen to something this is very important you have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law you have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you're being questioned now if you cannot afford a lawyer one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning now do you understand that yes sir officer I saw him pick up this motor and slipped as slick as you please you like to tell your side of this Randy I don't know why I did it I've never done it before please officer don't call my parents just let me pay for it shoplifting's a crime Randy and a very serious one I want you to wait right here a minute please excuse me well what do you think I should do well what are your alternatives well I could call his parents and have him come down to the jail and pick him up or I could have him come down here to the store and issue him a juvenile appearance card or I could maybe just talk to his folks and maybe a good stiff lecture would be sufficient for the boy what do you think is best and I can decide that better after I talk with his parents if they seem responsible like they can handle it then I think maybe just a good talking to will be enough but if they shrug it off then I think a juvenile court appearance is going to be necessary you know he seems real sorry that he did it in fact he even offered to pay for it that's not a bad idea what would begin by that hell nothing probably might just start him thinking that he can buy his way out of trouble well Randy I'm going to call your parents now please officer which is the money for it no you can't buy that motor Randy but you do owe something to your parents how are you going to pay back 14 years of trust you see several skilled questions from Sergeant Turner enabled a patrolman to use his own knowledge Tom had the information to solve the problem but he didn't know how to use it now the Answer Man supervisor insults his subordinates he makes them feel inferior that they are stupid and must rely on his wisdom for the right results the supervisor who gives the opportunity to his men to solve problems for themselves is a builder a developer of men to summarize he does it by building on strengths by positive listening by knowing the whole Man by counseling not advising by knowing the goal by knowing his role and by having high expectations Sergeant Turner's Squad responds to him because they're ordered to yes but they respond on a high level because they respect him believe in him in his integrity and judgment a successful leader does not get behind his men in push he leads by example leadership doesn't just happen when the sergeant sows the stripes on his uniform leadership develops and grows it's a spark that becomes a fire foreign I did it check your watch 24 hours and Corky's in jail I know you could do it bill but listen it was just a coincidence just a lucky break that I caught that guy I mean that was really an impossible assignment and you achieved The Impossible huh luck helps but that fellow search you made help you recognize that break and then take advantage of it Serge you're tough correction I'm tough-minded the strawberries confirm 2616 Dewey Avenue apartment 63 see Mr Anderson disturbance 300 will be in Rook 210 1446 1446