The literature indicates that present
leadership practices are mixed throughout various police organizations. The researchers suggest that present police
leadership practices are either the same as they always have been or
changing.
Fyfe, et al. (1997), notes that
present police leadership still resembles a military style of leadership. Silverstri (2007) agrees there is minimal
verification that police leadership practices are shifting. Most police organizations continue to foster
their centralized culture through the use of hierarchy and rank. This in and of itself continues to produce
quasi-militaristic officers who are disciplined and follow orders within a
bureaucracy.
This type of control reminds officers
that they are just subordinates and have a distinct place within the
organization. Silvestri (2007)
emphasizes that today’s police leadership is unwilling to share information
within the organization and rarely allows others to participate in
decision-making opportunities. The
philosophy of the twenty-first century police leader is one of being strong,
assertive, competitive, performance based and unreceptive to change.
Conversely, Wuestewald & Steinheider (2006) report police leadership is progressively
developing from an autocratic, centralized style that was based on wisdom,
integrity and courage to that of one that embraces teamwork, involvement, and shared
leadership. The
researchers assert that police organizations are allowing more supervision from
the bottom up and less direct control. “Modern police administration is more about
‘winning the hearts and minds’ of the police force,” claimed Skogan & Hartnett
(as cited in Steinheider
& Wuestewald, 2008). This philosophy
was a by-product of the concept of community policing. According to the International Association of
Chiefs of Police [IACP] (1999), the use of a participatory leadership style has
taken root because command and control have damaged productivity and morale.
As one can see, there are varying
opinions on whether police leadership has really changed or remained the
same. The literature points to different
styles of leadership as being the crux for change.
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