When one thinks about becoming a chief of police or a sheriff, rarely do they read the job description’s fine print. I will save you from the human resources rhetoric. Many think it reads ‘inside work and no heavy lifting’ for its requirements. Many chiefs wonder how lengthy the ‘other duties as required’ section is. There are some unwritten requirements of the job that most do not see until it unfolds in front of them. I often refer to this is a ‘reality orientation’ of the job. Now the glamor (if there is any) becomes cold, hard reality and life gets real.
A big weight to carry is one of the most solemn obligations that any chief or sheriff takes on, and it is the one most glaze over. The day you swear-in your newest officers is where you need to step up and take heed of what really has happened before you. Most of these ceremonies are all boilerplate, cut and dried. If you have been to one, you have been to them all. The fresh recruits stand up, take the oath, few celebratory words spoken, smiles and handshakes, the standard photos taken, and well we have all been there. Years ago when I was a young chief and had hired my first new officers my epiphany occurred. During the standard post ceremony meet and greet, the parents of one of my new officers came to meet their son’s chief. I thought this would be where I introduce myself, shake hands, smile and thank them for attending. What occurred to me was my true marching orders as a leader. They asked me “to take care of our son”. It hit me then between the eyes, a chief has become entrusted with sons and daughters of others. This is not in the standard job description.
Now this does not sound like a much to some, especially if you are not a chief or sheriff. Many may say this is what the military does, take the sons and daughters and turn them into soldiers. Let me take you back to another time as a new chief that I had to do another task. You are going to be the face of the department at the emergency room when an officer gets injured or worse. You are going to be the one to meet the family, the spouse, the parent. Handle the questions and escort them to the emergency room bay where their loved one lies injured. One thing that is rushing through your mind is that you hope that they do not ask you the hard questions. The one you fear the most was what could you (chief) have done to prevent this?
Hiring a young man or woman for most jobs seems mundane. However, in all of emergency services (police, fire, EMS and I will include military recruiters in this mix as well) becomes suddenly more complex. We are offering to a bright young adult an adventurous occupation that is full of excitement and promise. It is also fraught with danger and peril. So what can you do to prevent or even minimize these dangerous moments? Here you must ensure that you educate, train and equip your staff with the best offerings available. As the chief or sheriff, you are the department’s face on the budget. Safeguard these three elements and staunchly defend in the budget battles.
How we educate our officers in today’s litigious society is extremely important. I have always cringed when I hear of meeting the state’s minimum requirements only. So many departments use this as their training baseline and it will be woefully inadequate at best. The officer’s mind, their knowledge must be expanded to meet the demands placed on today’s officers. If you just review the new topics added to the police academy’s curriculum since the year you graduated, you should be amazed. Is todays youngest smarter than we were back in the day? I think not but the expansiveness of the curriculum exhibits how diverse they must now be.
Not only do we need to educate but train, they are not the same. To me the education in the knowledge is the academic side. Understanding the newest laws, procedures, and such. The training side is the physical-motor skills that need to be refined and the recertification of required skill sets. The two are similar but different. Review the diversity of your training, if it is all academic or in front of an on-line recert course, rethink your processes. Finally, equip them with the better equipment. Of course, our lives are built upon the foundation of the lowest bidder or state contracts. Not always, the best is what we are getting but there are two sides to this coin. Good to better grade equipment that is serviceable and kept in proper working order may suffice and make the budget work. Not every department can provide custom platform, high speed and low drag equipment, not every department has the budget of the Navy Seals.
If you have been a chief or sheriff for some length of time, you get what I am speaking of. If you are pondering the chief or sheriff job, think long and hard. Your decisions are not the ones that make you famous, but the ones that hold other officer’s lives in your hand. Lead with responsibility.
William L. Harvey | Chief
William L. "Bill" Harvey is a U.S. Army Military Police Corps veteran. He has a BA in criminology from St. Leo University and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville (103rd AOC). Harvey served for over 23 years with the Savannah (GA) Police Department in field operations, investigations and completed his career as the director of training. Served as the chief of police of the Lebanon City Police Dept (PA) for over seven years and then ten years as Chief of Police for the Ephrata Police Dept (PA). In retirement he continues to publish for professional periodicals and train.
