successor. “In many departments,
when it comes time for transition and
a chief to step down, it often falls to
human resources to hire a recruiter
and conduct a search. There often
isn’t much participation by the retiring chief,” said Morin Jacob, current
chair of LCW’s public safety practice group.
Taking this new approach of sharing retirement plans enables
chiefs to take an active
role in identifying
officers to replace
them, preparing
them for the role,
sharing experiences with them, and
supervising their
development.
Make Succession
Planning a Team
Effort
Be Open
and Honest
About Your
Retirement Plans
Succession planning is
a constant process and it takes
a minimum of five years to develop a
robust plan. Because succession planning
is such an involved and lengthy process,
chiefs must be willing to disclose their
retirement plans. This request is often
extremely difficult for chiefs to accept,
said Kreisler, but one that is critical to the
strength of the department.
“Succession plans aren’t something
you plan in a month,” said Kreisler. “Yes,
some of you could get screwed by doing
this, but it will likely only be a minority
of you. Do not wait to tell people when
you plan to retire.”
One benefit of informing your agency about your retirement plans is that
it gives you an opportunity to mentor a
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California Police Chief | www.californiapolicechiefs.org
“It’s relatively easy to
forget to do succession planning,
it’s not something in your job description,” Jacob said. Fortunatel K