Sergeant Tom Gresham is newly promoted and assigned to patrol on the graveyard shift. He knows each officer on his shift, and several of them are his close friends. You are his patrol lieutenant. Gresham is an excellent patrol officer and prides himself on his reputation and ability to get along with his peers. He believes that doing so will result in greater productivity from his officers, and he makes efforts to socialize with them after work.  Gresham also believes that a supervisor should not “get in the way of good police work” and his officer’s say he is a “cop’s cop.”  In his view, his duty shift officers perform very well, generating the highest number of arrests and citations in the entire department. Unfortunately, his shift is also generating the highest number of citizen complaints for abusive language and improper use of force. Gresham believes that such complaints are “the price of doing business.” One Monday morning, Gresham is surprised at being summoned to your office. You show Gresham a substantial number of use-of-force complaints lodged against his officers during the past two weeks.  Despite your best effort to explain the gravity of the situation and the fact that Internal Affairs may become involved, Gresham fails to grasp the seriousness of the complaints and how his supervisory style may have contributed to them.  

Answer these questions pertaining to how you would handle this situation:

 

• What do you believe are some of Sergeant Gresham’s problems as a new supervisor? Could anything have been done before he assumed his new position to help him understand his role better? If so, what?
• As Gresham’s superior officer, what advice would you give him? Are there any other supervisory or command officers who you should ask to be involved in dealing with this situation? Who and why?
• What corrective action must Sergeant Gresham take immediately with his team of officers? Why?

 

Peak, K. (2012). Policing America: Challenges and best practices (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

 

What do you believe are some of Sergeant Gresham’s problems as a new police supervisor  Could anything have been done before he assumed his new position to help him understand his role better? If so, what?

 

Sergeant Gresham will have to face the fact he isn’t one of the guys anymore, he is now a supervisor.  When law enforcement officers are newly appointed to a supervisory role for the first time, there isn’t enough  training to help them get ready for their new role. “A promoted officer, usually a sergeant, leaves behind being “one of the guys” and that change alone is a difficult change for many” (Sutton, 2009).  A newly appointed Sergeant can seek counsel and advice from the guys who are more experienced then them.  If Sergeant Gresham received comprehensive training then that could have helped him prepare for his new position.

 

As Gresham’s superior officer, what advice would you give him? Are there any other supervisory or command officers who you should ask to be involved in dealing with this situation? Who and why?m

 

As a superior officer I would give Sergeant Gresham this advice. First thing is you need to remember you are a role model. “ The minute you sew on those stripes people are going to be watching you” (Smith, 2013, par.2). Leaders are not just leaders, so act accordingly. Communication is essential , as you need to communicate to everyone, and watch your body language.

 

As a superior officer I would advise Sergeant Gresham Officers need to follow department rules, regional laws, professional ethical standards and establish protocols” (Ethics and corruption, [Learning module], p.2) Also know the extent to which they socialize with his juniors. Your peers may end up not respecting you as their senior officer, as well as not taking what he say . I would also recommend the various officers in different shifts to be involved in dealing with this situation since they will be in a position to supervise the other officers in their shifts. This will help in the reduction of citizen complaints for abusive language.

 

What corrective action must Sergeant Gresham take immediately with his team of officers? Why?

 

Sergeant Gresham needs to employ a number of methods. As for the abusive language. One would be to interview a district attorney. Interview police executives.  This would be to “ determine what they are doing in terms of training and policies to minimize the chances of successful lawsuits against their officers” (Peak. 2012, p.385). He can also determine how police protect themselves.

 

There is nothing like the feeling of having a police uniform. It comes with a awesome responsibility. Every police officer out there needs to be vigilant when it comes to ethical behavior. “Modern law enforcement, in its zeal to protect the people of our country in the wake of the reality of terrorism, must be on guard against “noble cause corruption” — doing the wrong thing for “good” reasons” (Sutton, 2009, Conclusion).  Law Enforcement faces many challenges  in today’s world, and needs to  face these challenges in a manner that is ethical. If we do this we will truly be “policing with honor.” (Sutton, 2009, Conclusion, par. 4).

 

References

 

Peak, K. (2012). Policing America: Challenges and best practices (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

 

Pearson Education. (n.d.). Ethics and corruption [Learning module]. Retrieved from http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/chet/chet_criminal_justice_1/assets/review/Challenges/index.html

 

Smith, B. B. (2013, March 22). A Little Advice for a New Sergeant | Officer.com. Retrieved from www.officer.com/article/.../a-little-advice-for-a-new-sergeant - Similar

 

Sutton, R. (2009, December 28). Policing with honor: The three levels of accountability - ... Retrieved from www.policeone.com/.../1983356-Policing-with-honor-The-th... - Similar