CHAPTER 11: THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER

Question 1

THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER :

He directs. He controls. He coordinates. All of these phrases have been used to describe the role of the manager in a police agency.
All are functions that the first-line supervisor participates in as a part of management.

Answer 1

The first-line supervisor is an integral part of the police organization.

Question 2

THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER:

One obvious difference lies in the level of the organization at which the leader engages in tasks of direction, ______, and coordination.

Answer 2

control

Question 3

THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER:

The primary supervisor or sergeant must concern himself with the daily, practical problems of the working police unit. He must answer his employees’ requests for ________ or _______; he handles press-ing personnel problems; he sees to it that the objectives of the agency are translated into concrete action at the actual service delivery level.

Answer 3

advice or information

Question 4

THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER:

The mid-level manager concerns himself with some of these practical matters, but with other things, as well. The mid-manager considers the coordination of a number of smaller units in the overall _______ of the organization, and he sees to it that one group of people is not working at cross purposes to some other departmental entity. He attempts to view his own role as being a part of the bigger picture involving the entire police organization.

Answer 4

scheme

Question 5

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE

It is possible to get more specific about the contemporary manager’s job than just to say that he directs, controls, and coordinates.

When the first-line supervisor is fulfilling his obligations as a manag-er, he is engaging in some of these “more specific” activities.

1) Interagency Liaison
2) Personnel Matters
3) Role Model
4) Information Transmitter and Relay
5) Interpretation and Clarification
6) Quality Control
7) General Supervision
8)
9) Special Assignment
10) Community Relations

Answer 5

8) Information source

Question 6

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE

Interagency Liaison:

Whatever the situation, the supervisor is a ________ of his agency and must conduct himself accordingly

Answer 6

representation

Question 7

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Personnel Matters:

The first-line supervisor should be involved in decisions _______
his unit’s personnel.

Answer 7

affecting

Question 8

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Role Model

A little fairness, good temperament, sound judgment, and a liberal application of plain old common sense can achieve remarkable results as __________ and mood setters.

Answer 8

moral builders

Question 9

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Information Transmitter and Relay

This means that not only does he relay the pronouncements of the “_______” to the people who will get the job done, but that he also makes the chain of command function more smoothly by passing along the concerns of subordinates to the high-er-ups who need to hear them.

Answer 9

“Big Boss”

Question 10

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Information Transmitter and Relay

It is fine for him to provide his own opinions when asked, but he must refrain from _______ when it is not appropriate.

Answer 10

editorializing

Question 11

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Interpretation and Clarification:

The manager probably would find it relatively painless to go to his subordinates for a clarification of their thoughts or concerns.

It may be more difficult for him to ask the boss for additional details of an otherwise ______ message. Nonetheless, the clarification must be obtained.

Answer 11

obscure

Question 12

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Quality Control:

For example, the review of officers’ probable cause for arrests may be a _______ of the supervisor/manager. This job, too, is a sort of quality check.

Answer 12

key function

Question 13

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

General Supervision:

The police leader is not permitted the questionable luxury of _______ himself within the role of a desk-bound manager. Only in large police organizations can the practice of totally removing a supervisor from the more traditional duties of policing take place.

Answer 13

isolating

Question 14

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Information Source:

The skilled and experienced police manager is a _______ person for those beside him, above him, and below him in the chain of command.

Answer 14

resource

Question 15

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Special Assignments

The expanded experience the supervisor gains from exercising his
_______ skills will make him a better candidate for promotion, if that is his eventual goal. Perhaps even more important, the expanded versatility will make him feel better about himself.

Answer 15

managerial

Question 16

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

Community Relations:

The supervisor should view himself as an ambassador of his
agency. He is a visible representative of its _____, objectives, and practices as these things relate to the public at large.

Answer 16

goals

Question 17

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:

When this written work is done completely and adequately, the person to whom it is submitted should have little more to do than read it and approve or disapprove the final product. The _________ attacking a special project should first ob-tain several key pieces of information from the person assigning the task.

Answer 17

supervisor/manager

Question 18

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:

Will he be researching employee attitudes on the issue?

Will he be checking into needed changes in the agency’s insurance coverage?

Will he be involved in surveying the need for a policy change?

Will he be expected to make recommendations for formal policy changes or just present the facts for decisions by others?

Any time limits within which he must work must be identified.
Will interim progress reports be required?

Answer 18

The questions that may be asked.

Question 19

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:

Many of these special assignments will _______ in a written re-port or memorandum, as opposed to an oral briefing. A written pre-sentation makes it much easier if the final work product is to be reviewed by several individuals at different times and places.

Answer 19

culminate

Question 20

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:

For the sake of consistency, the supervisor preparing a written ver-sion of his work should follow a standard format. The problem-oriented project might be laid out in six sections:

(1) statement of the problem;
(2) background information;
(3) recommended action or proposed solution;
(4)
(5) action or approval section; and
(6) attachments or appendices.

Answer 20

alternatives

Question 21

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:

Background information:

Past events or situations that may have ______ on the current situation should be noted. The reader should be brought up to date as far as the known facts will allow.

Answer 21

bearing

Question 22

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:

Background information:

This background section can make use of the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” formula of writing. All of these topics need to be covered in providing a _________ to those who must deal with the problem or assignment.

Answer 22

solid background

Question 23

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:

“Alternatives”

may not be a category that all managers will want to use. Those who do elect to ______ it often list other possible solutions or responses to the problem or situation.

Answer 23

utilize

Question 24

THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:

HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:

“Attachments or appendices”

By the time his work is completed on the assignment, the supervisor functioning in his manager’s role should have covered three _________ of concern.

First, he has conducted a study of the situation or problem.

Second, he has presented a solution or recommended a change and has backed up the proposal with facts.

Third, he has submitted the work for review by his boss.

Answer 24

vital areas

Question 25

In the preparation of the final written accounting, the manager’s
most useful tools will be the rewrite and the revision. Anxious not to bore with trivialities, neither does the conscientious writer want to leave _______ questions unanswered.

Answer 25

pressing

Question 26

Unanswered questions _____ a less than complete investigation. One supervisor summarized the results of a shooting inquiry in which he was the coordinator of the investigation in a concise, complete fashion:

Answer 26

betray

Question 27

ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHANGE

The human animal, generally speaking, appears relatively con-tent within the security of the known and familiar. Often it seems to take the known and _____ becoming downright uncomfortable or inconvenient to motivate any real interest in change.

Answer 27

familiar

Question 28

ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHANGE

Change is ______, progress is delayed, and the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the officer and his agency may thus suffer. Protest and dissent are understandable, but little good is accomplished if the required change is a good one that is going to have to be implemented eventually.

Answer 28

slowed

Question 29

ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHANGE

Rather, the sensible police leader is constantly looking for ways in
which he might alter his unit or department to get the job done better, ______, more effectively.

Answer 29

quicker

Question 30

ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHANGE

The supervisor should remember that he must often convince
many people besides himself that a proposed alteration will be bene-ficial and worth the effort expended on it. He does this by first getting his own ________ and then by presenting them logically and clearly.

Answer 30

facts straight

Question 31

ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHANGE

Truthfully addressing any one of them practically _________ that the proposed change will be accepted with ease:

1. The change will make the job easier.
2. The change will make the job safer.
3. The change will get the work done faster.
4. The change will make the work environment more comfortable

Answer 31

guarantees

Question 32

SUMMARY

The middle managers are generally seen as less involved in practical aspects of policing and more concerned with the ________ of policy and procedure.

Answer 32

development

Question 33

SUMMARY

However, the police organization that _______ its line supervisors from the exercise of their managerial skills in such areas as the creation of policy and procedure does so at its own peril.

Answer 33

excludes

Question 34

POINTS TO REMEMBER

The first-line supervisor is a ____ part of management.

Answer 34

key

Question 35

POINTS TO REMEMBER

The manager must serve always as a ______ role model.

Answer 35

positive

Question 36

POINTS TO REMEMBER

A good manager _______, transmits, and clarifies information and opinions.

Answer 36

relays

Question 37

POINTS TO REMEMBER

The manager is also a supervisor who participates in _____ control.

Answer 37

quality

Question 38

POINTS TO REMEMBER

In his manager’s role, the supervisor should expect to complete inquiries and investigations and _____ his findings to writing.

Answer 38

reduce

Question 39

POINTS TO REMEMBER

A manager absolutely must be able to write ______.

Answer 39

clearly

Question 40

POINTS TO REMEMBER

As a manager, the supervisor should be prepared to make recommendations for personnel actions as well as changes in ______ and procedures.

Answer 40

policies

Question 41

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

The manager must accept change and be _______ to explain and support it to his subordinates.

Answer 41

prepared