Common Sense Police Supervision: Practical Tips for the First-Line Leader

Thoroughly revised and updated, this practical hands-on book is packed full of step-by-step guidelines and suggestions for carrying out a multitude of leadership tasks and responsibilities focused on a changing work force that serves an equally changing and complex society. While emphasizing the real value of common sense in good leadership practices, the author furnishes the aspiring novice or veteran police supervisor with specific advice on how to train, counsel, inspect, discipline and assess the performance of his or her subordinates. He strives to help the supervisor with the vital obligations of being a planner, a problem resolution officer and effective communicator within as well as outside, the law enforcement organization. Major topics include: (1) what supervision means and what you need to know; (2) supervisory ethics, professional responsibilities as a teacher, inspector, advocate and role model; (3) the key qualities of true leadership; (4) the vital job as an evaluator of employee performance, discipline in the correction process, oral and written communication skills; (5) the skills needed when dealing with the news media; and (6) assistance in planning a career as a first-line leader in supervision.