Holding out for a hero: selecting a chief of police

Abstract

Little research exists regarding the process of selecting a chief of police. This paper uses focus group data collected from internal and external stakeholders in a medium-sized municipality to examine what stakeholders want in a new chief. What attributes stakeholders want to see in a chief of police is summarized including a discussion of where stakeholders differ and concur in their opinion regarding a chief of police selection. A secondary concern addressed in this paper is the ramification of funding sources on the successful implementation of community-oriented policing (COP) strategies by police chiefs. Stakeholders’ assessments of the Medium City Police Department indicated that there were problems with sustaining COP programs which were linked to their desires for a chief who would heroically revamp the department and relations with the community. Findings indicate that the ability of a new chief to set and meet goals is hindered, in this case, by management styles of command officers and by lack of resources for the police department.

Keywords:

• police chief
• selection process
• focus groups

Notes

1. The size of the municipality under consideration falls into a medium-sized demographic and could be compared to many other police departments across the country.

2. The data collected via the web will be considered alongside the community members’ focus group data.

3. The interview guide used for these focus groups is available upon request.

4. The group of sworn officers was selected by the City Manager, the Director of Media and Community Relations, and the Director and Acting Assistant Director of Human Resources. A final group of 21 individuals was invited, consisting of 20 sworn officers and one officer from outside Small City who serves as the President of the local Fraternal Order of Police. A total of 19 sworn officers participated. The current Command Staff of the MCPD, consisting of one Major and four Captains, was invited. All five members of the command group attended the focus group. Citizens, civic leaders, and business leaders were selected by the City Manager, the Director of Media and Community Relations, the Director of Human Resources, and the Acting Assistant Director of Human Resources. Potential participants were chosen so that all boroughs of Small City were represented. Eighteen individuals were invited, and a total of six participated in the focus group. Attendance in this group was affected by a conflict in scheduling that arose due to a City Council meeting that was scheduled for the same date and time. The research team was unaware of this conflict until the time of the focus group meeting, when some of the attendees expressed concern about low participation due to the conflict. Data was also collected via a web survey that was promoted through the City’s Director of Media and Community Relations. As the web responses were consistent with the community leaders,’ data collected via this medium was considered as part of the community leaders’ focus group. The group of constitutional officers was selected by the Director of Media and Community Relations and the Director and Acting Assistant Director of Human Resources. Constitutional officers are members of the city government who serve in the court and the corrections system. Seven individuals were invited, and five constitutional officers attended the focus group. Youth advocates were selected for invitation by the Director of Parks and Recreation for Small City. All 18 of the individuals invited were part of the Small City Initiative on Youth. Additionally, the Superintendent of Small City Public Schools was invited. Of the 19 invitees, seven attended the focus group.

5. The researchers noted the use of gendered language in focus groups. When describing the new chief, participants usually used male gendered language, but some corrected themselves with ‘he or she.’ A minority of participants used ‘he’ continuously.