It could be said that the past two years have resulted in more change to the policing profession than any other time in the last few decades.
The pandemic has forced us to reexamine our previously established practices as we have adapted to a dynamic and unchartered climate. We have witnessed changes in the way agencies have conducted their work to ensure effective operations despite an incredibly challenging time. Examples include adjusting shift schedules to limit widespread exposure while also promoting officer well-being, proactively reallocating resources where necessary, and changing how we have utilized technology to enable increased remote and automated processes.
The death of George Floyd and other high-profile incidents have also had a profound impact on our profession. Calls for police reform have altered how we carry out our day-to-day operations as we cope with decreased funding and recruitment challenges and have further emphasized the importance of trust and transparency between our agencies and the people we serve. These changes have no doubt tested our ability to lead through the most unpredictable of times.
I’ve always liked John P. Kotter’s model of leading an organization through change. Within his model, he speaks to the importance of the quality of leadership and stresses that change is very much a collective effort, one that requires the buy-in of all in order to successfully implement change at every level.
The IACP promotes the concept of every officer is a leader. Under this approach, leaders at every level of a policing organization have a responsibility to connect individual, group, and organizational behavior with defined values. While agency executives must be committed to the changes being implemented, leaders at all levels impact the success. First-line leaders, for example, may have the biggest impact as they are responsible for implementing policy, communicating command priorities, and maintaining morale among officers. Leadership is about setting examples and modeling appropriate behavior, such that your employees do the right thing for the right reason all of the time.
To that end, and perhaps most importantly, leaders are responsible for instilling a culture within their organizations that drives success. Our cultures help us cope with the external environment by developing a shared understanding about our mission, vision, strategy, and goals, along with a means to achieve them. It provides us with a collective understanding for which to hold each other accountable.
To continue serving our communities in the safest and most effective manner, while also ensuring the safety of our own throughout the pandemic, we’ve had to critically review our tactics, trainings and processes, ensuring a culture that not only embraces change but also aligns with community expectations. Part of this has been placing an even greater focus on community-police engagement to ensure our agencies are able to build a solid foundation of trust. The IACP knows the importance of this concept and has created myriad resources and tools designed to enhance the culture, policies, and practices to further unite agencies with their communities by establishing trust, legitimacy and collaboration.
Our profession has been thrust into the spotlight time and time again. It often feels as though perfection is expected of us even in the most difficult of situations. We’ve had to think innovatively and remain adaptable, relying on each other during our most vulnerable moments. I know we will continue to face challenges in the months and years ahead, and while not always easy, our ability to lean into change as leaders will continue to prove vital.d
