The Five Cs of Law Enforcement Leadership

When new recruits embark on a law enforcement career and begin their police academy training, they receive instruction on a variety of topics. These learning domains are designed to equip them in performing their duties and prepare them for the numerous challenges they will encounter in the field. They learn techniques that help them establish their command presence; develop ways to overcome fear, establish courage, and to properly “communicate” using the radio; and how to effectively communicate with the public and criminal suspects. As peace officers move in their career from line-level into supervision-, management-, and executive-level positions, leaders can be overwhelmed by complex demands including budget restrictions, personnel concerns, meetings with community groups, and other large-scale projects. While these tasks are important, leaders may forget that those topics that were so critical to learn as rookies may still have a significant impact on their performance as leaders of their organizations.