CHAPTER 7: THE POLICE LEADER AS A DISCIPLINARIAN Flashcards
THE POLICE LEADER AS A DISCIPLINARIAN
To hold discipline in such a light is incorrect and self-defeating.
Discipline entails much more than punishment. It involves correction and allows for a beneficial _______ in behavior.
change
THE POLICE LEADER AS A DISCIPLINARIAN.
Discipline as it pertains to police work might then be defined as
training and preparation that help develop _______, sound character, and job efficiency in the police employee. Discipline as described here is an attitude that assures prompt and complete obedience to direct orders, and, at the same time, results in an attitude or demeanor that causes an employee to initiate proper and effective actions in the absence of close supervision.
self-control
PURPOSES OF CORRECTION
Now that he is a part of the agency’s leadership structure, the police supervisor must be concerned for the __________, the public’s legitimate concerns, and the employees’ welfare, all in addition to his personal realm of interest and concern.
agency’s interests
PURPOSES OF CORRECTION
Whatever form of corrective action is chosen for a specific incidence of misconduct, the first-line supervisor must be closely associated with it. If the line supervisor is to retain his authority, as well as his reputation as one who can help, he must be able to recommend formal corrective actions to ______ authority.
higher
PURPOSES OF CORRECTION
A note of caution for the supervisor confronting the effects of what
he suspects to be alcoholism displayed by one of his employees: drug and alcohol addiction are covered under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These conditions are viewed as ______ matters and their diagnosis, treatment, and record keeping are granted confidential status under ADA.
The ADA does NOT prohibit a supervisor from acting immedi-ately when he has cause to believe he is dealing with an under-the-influence police employee.
medical
PURPOSES OF CORRECTION
The purpose of correction here, as it is in most cases of improper,
lacking, or excessive police action, is definitely multifaceted. Problems in employee behavior must be _______ to help and protect the employee and his fellow workers. This, in turn, benefits the entire agency and its reputation even as it protects the public at large from law en-forcement misconduct.
corrected
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
Behavioral psychologists have known for a long time that in order
to be effective, reward/punishment must be ______ and ______ enough for the person being rewarded or punished to connect his actions with the results. A bureaucratic disciplinary mechanism that requires months to employ corrective action for improper conduct cannot possibly ad-here to the very basic teachings of common sense, as well as to the tenets of behavioral psychology.
sure and immediate
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
Corrective action should be ______, because otherwise the supervisor finds it an unpleasant task and may postpone it for as long as possible. Nor should it be delayed in hopes that the misbehavior will go away or cure itself—it generally will do neither.
swift
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
At the same time, the supervisor’s absence from direct and visible participation in the disciplinary process may well diminish his stature and importance in the eyes of his subordinates. His ability to direct and control the employee in the future may diminish proportionately.
diminish
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
Corrective action should be ______ until the supervisor can be
alone with the employee in a setting offering adequate quiet and privacy for discussion. Such an environment is not found in the locker room or roll-call briefing hall in front of the officer’s peers. Nor is it on a crime scene or elsewhere in front of suspects, witnesses, and other citizens.
delayed
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
A sense of fair play demands that disciplinary action be consistent in both kind and severity. This is often referred to as comparative discipline. It means simply that identical or similar infractions earn identical or similar penalties. Police unions and other employee groups are often very sensitive to the issue of __________ and will vehemently object to corrective measures seen as overly severe.
comparative discipline
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
No set standard in minutes, hours, or days can be provided. This must be added to the factors demanding that
(1) correction be ______ tied to the improper act itself to be psychologically effective, and
(2) some field situations require immediate intervention for safety or legal considerations.
closely
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
Before confronting an employee who is to be corrected through counseling, verbal reprimand, or formal administrative penalty, the police supervisor must analyze his own ______ and motives to be certain that neither anger nor revenge nor a desire to
“put down” an employee are among his motives for acting. If he feels any of them the session should be postponed until such time when hostile feelings have dissipated.
emotions
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
The supervisor who detects a counseling session headed in the direction of an emotional, head-on collision would do well to _______ the proceedings until later. This may mean finishing the discussion later in the work shift or the next day.
adjourn
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
Corrective action that has been carefully formulated, thoughtfully
administered, but then immediately forgotten is worse than useless. To be effective, corrective action must be followed up to determine if a change in behavior or performance actually results.
worse than useless
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
Corrective action, in order to be most efficient, must be something
else in addition to being timely, fair, sound, privately administered, devoid of anger or spite, consistent, and followed up. It also must be ________. This helps assure fairness, because it makes the action subject to future review by the employee and other supervisors on a “need to know” basis
documented
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
The written (including computerized) record is ________ priceless in its ability to inform future supervisors and evaluators of past trends in employee performance, good or bad.
equally
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
When executing corrective action of any sort, the supervisor should adhere to some basic commandments:
1) Have the Necessary Information and Know the Full Story.
2) Have the Required Official Support Before Taking Corrective Action.
3) Remember to Praise the Good Points, Too.
4) Massive Doses of Authority Should Be Avoided Whenever
Possible.
5) Try for Agreement from the Employee.
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
When executing corrective action of any sort, the supervisor should adhere to some basic commandments:
1) Have the Necessary Information and Know the Full Story.
A supervisor’s reputation for fairness and com-petency can be seriously damaged by a false start or an erroneous as-sumption.
Be sure of the facts of the incident.
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
When executing corrective action of any sort, the supervisor should adhere to some basic commandments:
2) Have the Required Official Support Before Taking Corrective Action.
It is destructive to future effectiveness as a supervisor. To prevent this problem from happening, the supervisor should discuss an unusual disciplinary situation with his superior(s) before attempting to place _______ into effect. It also can be helpful to have a proposed corrective action reviewed by fellow super-visors.
sanctions
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
When executing corrective action of any sort, the supervisor should adhere to some basic commandments:
3) Remember to Praise the Good Points, Too.
If possible, corrective counseling sessions should end on a _______ note.
positive
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
When executing corrective action of any sort, the supervisor should adhere to some basic commandments:
4) Massive Doses of Authority Should Be Avoided Whenever
Possible.
“Because I said so” is almost never an acceptable answer to a subordinate’s challenge, just as “because I’m the boss” is equally useless.
To be respected by others, the supervisor must first respect (and maintain control of) ______.
himself
REQUISITES OF FAIR AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
When executing corrective action of any sort, the supervisor should adhere to some basic commandments:
5) Try for Agreement from the Employee.
The effective police supervisor will not discourage the employee from _________ the corrective action thoroughly, even if the subordinate indicates initially that he strongly disagrees with it.
discussing
IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPERVISOR IN DISCIPLINE
The primary supervisor must be intimately and realistically involved in the whole disciplinary process. Whatever action is to be taken to resolve a problem in employee behavior, the police supervisor must have a ______ in deciding what the action will be. To eliminate the supervisor from this vital process is to reduce the likelihood that the corrective action taken will be fair, appropriate, and effective in achieving the desired results.
big role
IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPERVISOR IN DISCIPLINE
The immediate or primary supervisor has much to offer the cor-rectional process. Having him thoroughly involved in it can accomplish a number of things:
1) Correction Is Personalized for the Employee.
2) Correction Is Appropriate.
3) Correction Is Timely.
4) Participation in Correction Strengthens the Supervisor.
IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPERVISOR IN DISCIPLINE
The immediate or primary supervisor has much to offer the cor-rectional process. Having him thoroughly involved in it can accomplish a number of things:
1) Correction Is Personalized for the Employee.
Correction is devised and dispensed most often by the individual whom the employee ______ and works with regularly: the primary supervisor.
knows well
IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPERVISOR IN DISCIPLINE
The immediate or primary supervisor has much to offer the cor-rectional process. Having him thoroughly involved in it can accomplish a number of things:
2) Correction Is Appropriate.
No one should be as knowledgeable as the ___________ as to what will work to bring about a desired change in his employee’s performance. “Overkill” can be eliminated from disciplinary actions. Which worker needs only a verbal counsel-ing session and which one merits more drastic measures can best be decided by the person closest to the employee and his work: the pri-mary supervisor.
first-line supervisor
IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPERVISOR IN DISCIPLINE
The immediate or primary supervisor has much to offer the cor-rectional process. Having him thoroughly involved in it can accomplish a number of things:
3) Correction Is Timely.
Several months must not pass while various layers of the police ________ attempt to reconcile their opinions over the appropriateness of a particular corrective action.
bureaucracy
IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPERVISOR IN DISCIPLINE
The immediate or primary supervisor has much to offer the cor-rectional process. Having him thoroughly involved in it can accomplish a number of things:
4) Participation in Correction Strengthens the Supervisor.
The subordinates are shown the supervisor’s ________ (and thereby his value to them) when his recommendations on corrective actions are valued and enacted. The same subordinates will be more likely to heed the supervisor’s requests, warnings, and guidance in the future.
importance
IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPERVISOR IN DISCIPLINE
The immediate or primary supervisor has much to offer the cor-rectional process. Having him thoroughly involved in it can accomplish a number of things:
4) Participation in Correction Strengthens the Supervisor.
In a world where union contracts and civil service regulations have at least some impact on what the supervisor can and cannot do, the first-line leader will be wise to seek the ______ of his boss and Human Resources staff before he launches a corrective measure that will deprive its recipient of pay or other benefits.
advice
SUMMARY
Allowing him to meet his ________ boosts the organization as a whole and its employees and leaders as individuals. It is the first-line supervisor’s responsibility to guarantee that he meets his obligations through a judicious application of fairness, intelligence, job skills, and plain com-mon sense.
full potential
POINTS TO REMEMBER
There are both positive and negative forms of _______.
discipline
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Self-discipline is the _________ of discipline.
highest level
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Disciplinary action must be _______ for the infraction involved.
appropriate
POINTS TO REMEMBER
The ADA does not _______ a supervisor from disciplining an under the influence employee.
restrain
POINTS TO REMEMBER
____________ assures that different employees involved in similar misbehavior are corrected in a similar fashion.
Comparative discipline
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Progressive discipline assures that discipline increases in _______ for repeated incidents of misconduct.
severity
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Efficient discipline is:
a) _____,
b) fair,
c) devoid of anger,
d) privately administered,
e) consistent,
f) followed up,
g) and documented.
timely
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Appropriate discipline always requires the ___________ of the first-line supervisor.
participation
