CHAPTER 7: THE POLICE LEADER AS A DISCIPLINARIAN

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

change

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

self-control

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

agency’s interests

Question 4

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.

Answer 4

higher

Question 5

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.

Answer 5

medical

Question 6

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.

Answer 6

corrected

Question 7

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.

Answer 7

sure and immediate

Question 8

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.

Answer 8

swift

Question 9

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.

Answer 9

diminish

Question 10

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.

Answer 10

delayed

Question 11

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.

Answer 11

comparative discipline

Question 12

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.

Answer 12

closely

Question 13

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.

Answer 13

emotions

Question 14

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.

Answer 14

adjourn

Question 15

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.

Answer 15

worse than useless

Question 16

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

Answer 16

documented

Question 17

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.

Answer 17

equally

Question 18

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.

Question 19

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.

Answer 19

Be sure of the facts of the incident.

Question 20

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.

Answer 20

sanctions

Question 21

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.

Answer 21

positive

Question 22

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) ______.

Answer 22

himself

Question 23

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.

Answer 23

discussing

Question 24

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.

Answer 24

big role

Question 25

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.

Question 26

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.

Answer 26

knows well

Question 27

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.

Answer 27

first-line supervisor

Question 28

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.

Answer 28

bureaucracy

Question 29

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.

Answer 29

importance

Question 30

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.

Answer 30

advice

Question 31

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.

Answer 31

full potential

Question 32

POINTS TO REMEMBER

There are both positive and negative forms of _______.

Answer 32

discipline

Question 33

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Self-discipline is the _________ of discipline.

Answer 33

highest level

Question 34

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Disciplinary action must be _______ for the infraction involved.

Answer 34

appropriate

Question 35

POINTS TO REMEMBER

The ADA does not _______ a supervisor from disciplining an under the influence employee.

Answer 35

restrain

Question 36

POINTS TO REMEMBER

____________ assures that different employees involved in similar misbehavior are corrected in a similar fashion.

Answer 36

Comparative discipline

Question 37

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Progressive discipline assures that discipline increases in _______ for repeated incidents of misconduct.

Answer 37

severity

Question 38

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Efficient discipline is:

a) _____,
b) fair,
c) devoid of anger,
d) privately administered,
e) consistent,
f) followed up,
g) and documented.

Answer 38

timely

Question 39

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Appropriate discipline always requires the ___________ of the first-line supervisor.

Answer 39

participation