In today's society we rely on our front line law enforcement officers to keep the peace and enforce federal, state, and municipal laws. A police officer is one who has taken on the task of protecting the community, knowing the potential dangers he could face. Officers are often forced to become part of situations that are unknown in nature and unpredictable. This task is not an easy assignment for anyone. The job is often dangerous, time consuming, and thankless.
Supervisory Officers must evaluate the front line officers on a regular basis. This evaluation can determine if an officer is suited for a particular assignment, if he is deserving of a promotion, if he is capable of handling more responsibilities, and sometimes if his employment needs to be terminated. The driving force of an evaluation is determining what the officer's career goals and motivations are. For a supervisor to understand what exactly motivates a particular officer, he must first try to understand what kind of officer his subject is. There are three types of police officers: the fool, the coward, and the hero.
The first type of officer is the “fool”. This officer often seems overly aggressive. He will arrive on the scene of a domestic dispute and be hateful and obnoxious to all parties involved. He will not try to help solve people's problems; but rather, take them to jail and let the judge sort it out. The foolish police officer is often more interested in the numbers of arrests or citations he has written, then with the quality of protection and service he is providing to his community. He will also sacrifice his training and tactical procedures for a more favorable end result. For example, he may not call for backup because he does not want to share the credit for an arrest he is about to make. Many foolish officers make traffic stops without notifying their dispatcher of their location and the type of vehicle they are stopping.
The foolish officer's major liability is that he has absolutely no fear of anything. He does not fear the consequences of rash decisions that can affect officer safety, public safety, or even his career. He loves being dramatic. The foolish officer may think that life is a movie, and that he is John Wayne.
The second type of officer is the “coward.” The cowardice officer is the farthest thing from proactive. He takes the longest amount of time to prepare for his shift and will often loiter in the station, socializing with the office staff. If another officer calls for backup, he will wait to see if others answer the call first. If a high risk call is dispatched over the radio, he will be the last to answer the call. The cowardice officer consistently volunteers for security details at local sporting events and public relations functions. In his mind, this is a safe assignment. He will also have the lowest productivity rate. The cowardice officer has made a mistake in choosing law enforcement as his career.
The other type of officer is the “hero.” Fortunately, the hero officers outnumber the fool and the cowardice officers. The heroic officer is the first to volunteer for high risk assignments. He does not do it for the glory, but for the education the experience will provide. He is often found showing other officers new techniques that he has learned or discovered. The heroic officer understands that helping another officer to enhance his skills may one day save his own life. Another attribute of the heroic is his communication skills. He prides himself on being able to “talk down” a potentially dangerous person. The heroic officer understands that safety and service is the number one priority. His job is to protect his community and his fellow officer.
The heroic officer also understands that fear is a desirable trait, as long as it does not overpower or control him. The right amount of fear can give a police officer the ability to know when to call for backup or even when to stand back and wait for a better opportunity to accomplish the objective.
Police supervisors must be able to discern between these three types of officers so that they can effectively train the fools, weed out the cowards, and reward the heroes. When these objectives are met, law enforcement agencies will be more efficient and the safety and security of our communities will be enhanced.
Supervisory Officers must evaluate the front line officers on a regular basis. This evaluation can determine if an officer is suited for a particular assignment, if he is deserving of a promotion, if he is capable of handling more responsibilities, and sometimes if his employment needs to be terminated. The driving force of an evaluation is determining what the officer's career goals and motivations are. For a supervisor to understand what exactly motivates a particular officer, he must first try to understand what kind of officer his subject is. There are three types of police officers: the fool, the coward, and the hero.
The first type of officer is the “fool”. This officer often seems overly aggressive. He will arrive on the scene of a domestic dispute and be hateful and obnoxious to all parties involved. He will not try to help solve people's problems; but rather, take them to jail and let the judge sort it out. The foolish police officer is often more interested in the numbers of arrests or citations he has written, then with the quality of protection and service he is providing to his community. He will also sacrifice his training and tactical procedures for a more favorable end result. For example, he may not call for backup because he does not want to share the credit for an arrest he is about to make. Many foolish officers make traffic stops without notifying their dispatcher of their location and the type of vehicle they are stopping.
The foolish officer's major liability is that he has absolutely no fear of anything. He does not fear the consequences of rash decisions that can affect officer safety, public safety, or even his career. He loves being dramatic. The foolish officer may think that life is a movie, and that he is John Wayne.
The second type of officer is the “coward.” The cowardice officer is the farthest thing from proactive. He takes the longest amount of time to prepare for his shift and will often loiter in the station, socializing with the office staff. If another officer calls for backup, he will wait to see if others answer the call first. If a high risk call is dispatched over the radio, he will be the last to answer the call. The cowardice officer consistently volunteers for security details at local sporting events and public relations functions. In his mind, this is a safe assignment. He will also have the lowest productivity rate. The cowardice officer has made a mistake in choosing law enforcement as his career.
The other type of officer is the “hero.” Fortunately, the hero officers outnumber the fool and the cowardice officers. The heroic officer is the first to volunteer for high risk assignments. He does not do it for the glory, but for the education the experience will provide. He is often found showing other officers new techniques that he has learned or discovered. The heroic officer understands that helping another officer to enhance his skills may one day save his own life. Another attribute of the heroic is his communication skills. He prides himself on being able to “talk down” a potentially dangerous person. The heroic officer understands that safety and service is the number one priority. His job is to protect his community and his fellow officer.
The heroic officer also understands that fear is a desirable trait, as long as it does not overpower or control him. The right amount of fear can give a police officer the ability to know when to call for backup or even when to stand back and wait for a better opportunity to accomplish the objective.
Police supervisors must be able to discern between these three types of officers so that they can effectively train the fools, weed out the cowards, and reward the heroes. When these objectives are met, law enforcement agencies will be more efficient and the safety and security of our communities will be enhanced.
