All police chiefs, regardless of their agency’s size, are facing unprecedented challenges. The anti-police rhetoric and social unrest have contributed to a record number of officers resigning or retiring early. In addition, fewer qualified individuals are applying for vacancies. Crime has increased to levels not experienced in decades, divisive political positions polarize communities, and 24-hour news programs provide continuous coverage of the deepening problems. Compounding these issues even more is the increased rate of change—the fastest in history—fueled by human knowledge doubling every day.¹ Yet police leaders are expected to perform consistently in these volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous times. To achieve this, police leaders must continually work to keep pace with these changes and meet their communities’ expectations in accordance with established constitutional and legal standards. Unfortunately, those individuals and agencies who are not evolving at the same rate or faster than their environment will soon find themselves to be irrelevant.

Addressing these issues in an incremental, symptom-based approach will not effectively resolve the problems. To successfully maneuver through these challenges, organizations must move away from seeking simple answers to complex problems that police leaders face. State police associations are uniquely positioned to support a chief’s ability to address the constantly evolving challenges and employ a systematic process for establishing the foundation for leadership development.

Chief Executive Training Course

The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) has developed a systematic process to support police leaders in this endeavor. To provide a solid foundation to build chiefs’ careers, the Chief Executive Training Course (CETC) was developed to provide a “baseline of knowledge” for all newly appointed police executives.

Once implemented, the association’s leaders successfully lobbied the state legislature to require all newly appointed chief executives to attend the “next available” class. Every appointed chief or head of a law enforcement agency in Georgia is statutorily required to attend the next available 60-hour CETC. In addition to police chiefs, heads of other law enforcement agencies, including chief investigators of district attorney and solicitor offices; chief arson investigators for fire departments; and all state law enforcement agency heads, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Department of Public Safety, and Georgia Department of Natural Resources, must attend the training. Often referred to as the “new chiefs’ school,” the class is now offered four times per year.

Since its inception, the program has continued to evolve. Recently, the GACP partnered with the curriculum development staff at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center to conduct an occupational analysis to ensure the course material was up to date and job related. This analysis led to the elimination of several blocks of instruction, the modification of others, and the creation of new blocks. Some of the topics currently provided include

• Conducting a SWOT Analysis
• Political and Practical Realities
• Directing the Hiring Process
• Staff Development
• Managerial Liability
• Human Resource Liability
• Leadership and the Role of the Chief
• Conflict Resolution
• State Certification
• Community Relationships
• Media Relations
• Budgeting
• Risk Management
• Open Records
• Data Collection/Usage
• Social Media

In recognition that adults learn better when they are engaged, the instructional formats transitioned from relying solely on lectures to placing greater emphasis on interactive approaches.

Interestingly, the class has experienced a significant increase in the number of command staff attending the training as departments make attendance part of their career development programs. Chiefs have described command staff who attended the classes as having a more comprehensive understanding of issues that departments and chiefs face. At the same time, command staff reported that attending the course before they were appointed chiefs provided for a smoother transition when they took over leadership of their department.

Attendance and testing requirements for CETC follow the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council requirements. Each attendee must complete 90 percent of the training provided. In addition, if a student scores below 80 percent on the final exam, they have one opportunity to retest. If the individual fails the second exam, their supervisor (i.e., city manager/mayor) and POST Council are notified, and they must attend the entire class again at their own expense.

In-service Requirements

In addition to the chief executive training, each head of a law enforcement agency is required to attend a minimum of 20 hours of GACP-provided or other approved executive training each year. To enable police executives to obtain this minimum training, GACP hosts two major training conferences. The summer conference has 650 to 700 attendees, and the winter training typically hosts about 350 attendees.

For years, two large classes were held simultaneously. As instructors completed the class, attendees would swap classes. Conversations with the members identified several issues with this approach. First, attendees have different backgrounds, levels of experience, and developmental needs. Second, the large classes focused on overarching concepts and did not provide attendees with actionable ideas they could carry back to and implement in their communities. As a result, many felt a different training approach was needed to enable them to address their individual needs.

To address this concern, conference schedules were modified to host a variety of topics, with five to six classes occurring simultaneously. With a few exceptions, most classes are scheduled for one- to two-hour blocks of instruction. Many of the courses are offered twice, so individuals have an opportunity to attend classes of interest they would have otherwise missed.

To enhance the training experience, members were engaged in identifying potential topics. The training committee provides GACP staff with topics and possible speakers, and members are periodically surveyed to identify their priorities.

“To successfully maneuver through these challenges, organizations must move away from seeking simple answers to complex problems that police leaders face.”

While all agencies perform many of the same tasks, each performs them differently. One of the greatest variables affecting this response is the size of the agency and the resources it has available. To address this, one two-hour block is offered during the summer training conference in which agencies are segregated according to agency size and type. The categories include agencies with 1 to 10 officers, 11 to 25 officers, 26 to 50 officers, 51 to 100 officers, or 100+ officers; K–12 school police departments; university system and technical colleges; and chief investigators for district attorney and solicitor offices. Before the conference, three to four well-respected chiefs are identified to serve as panelists for each group. Each group of panelists identifies the issues impacting agencies of the specific size or type.  The group’s panelists identify topics in isolation from the other panels, but they often identify the same issues. However, how they address those challenges varies based on the type of agencies and resources available to them. Working together, questions are created so panelists can prepare informed talking points and ensure they stay on schedule. The use of a relaxed, conversational approach that is tailored to department sizes led this block of instruction to become one of the most popular every year.

District Training

GACP divided the state into 11 districts, with each having two district representatives. One of the primary responsibilities of the district representatives is to schedule regular meetings in their district. Typically, a discussion regarding issues occurring in their area is held, along with a one-hour training program.  All training must address an executive-level topic. Before the meeting, the district representative submits the course synopsis, learning objectives, and other documents to the GACP training coordinator for approval for executive credit.

In addition to training, the district meetings provide chiefs and command staff with the opportunity to network, discuss concerns, and share ideas. One of the most valuable benefits of the smaller, more intimate programs is the recognition that other police chiefs are faced with the same issues and offers an opportunity to share how they successfully maneuver through these challenges.

Consequences for Failing to Receive Training

While the overwhelming majority of police leaders attend more training than is required by the state, some fail to obtain the mandatory minimum amount of training. When this occurs, the chief and their mayor or city manager, as well as POST Council, are notified of the missing required training. Georgia POST Council immediately suspends the chief’s POST certification until he or she completes the required training hours. Unfortunately, this has resulted in several chiefs being terminated from their employment.

Police Executive Institute

Recently, the GACP and Georgia Municipal Association partnered to create the Police Executive Institute. The goal of this program is for incumbent police chiefs and emerging police leaders to gain more understanding of municipal issues. The course curriculum was designed to enhance police leaders’ ability to develop collaborative and effective community partnerships. At the same time, city leaders have the opportunity to hear and learn from the police leaders’ perspectives. It is anticipated that both groups will build stronger relationships with one another.

The first cohort began in January 2023. Over a two-year period, the 10-member cohort will attend 72 hours of mandatory training and 20 hours of elective classes. Each participant must also complete a capstone project in their community using the knowledge, skills, and abilities developed during the training program.

Addressing Today’s Leadership Challenges

In summary, police leaders across the United States are faced with the same problems regardless of the size, type, or location of their agency. Many of these demands are simultaneously pulling them in different directions. The quality of an agency’s response to these issues is directly related to the capacity of its leadership. State police chief associations are uniquely positioned to assist heads of agencies in addressing this need in an organized manner. Using a multifaceted approach that includes chief executive training, regular in-service training, and district meetings, GACP provides the information and networking opportunities for Georgia agencies to address the leadership challenges of the 21st century successfully. d

Note:

¹Feras A. Batarseh, “Thoughts on the Future of Human Knowledge and Machine Learning,” London School of Economics and Political Science Technology (blog), September 20, 2017.

Please cite as

Dwayne Orrick, “Developing Chiefs’ Leadership Capacity: Statewide Police Executive Training,” Police Chief Online, February 15, 2023.