INSIGHTS
How do you develop a positive working relationship with elected officials ?
chief ’ s awareness of these concerns will help in forming a positive relationship . Elected officials ’ knowledge of the police mission may have been formed from many sources , so it ’ s important for the chief to gauge that knowledge and offer views from the experienced practitioner ’ s perspective . Do they expect the department to be more service oriented , more enforcement oriented , or a balance ? They may not feel qualified to address these expectations upfront , so the chief should be prepared to start the conversation with a goal to bridge the gap . As time passes and faces change , it is important to also look for opportunities to help newly elected officials understand the policing role in the community .
It ’ s a good practice to proactively address these and other important issues that set the tone for expectations . A good start can be to create and maintain a relevant document that contains the positive values and strategic priorities the chief may have already identified as best practices . This three to five year strategic plan can provide a starting point for confirmation from elected officials about expectations for the chief and police department . Situations can be fluid , so be prepared to participate with elected officials when it ’ s necessary to recalibrate these shared expectations , and update the plan .
No matter the size of the department , the chief is the “ go-to ” policing expert in the community , and elected officials will be relying on this trusted leader to be well versed on all related subjects when they ask for advice on how to deal with an issue .
Police chiefs can ’ t afford to wait for a critical incident to get up to speed . What worked for me as a chief was to make sure I did my homework in advance by paying attention locally , while keeping one eye on the horizon for what ’ s next in the profession . It ’ s good to ask yourself , “ What best practices have others developed that I can modify to fit my department ?” It helps to seek a wide variety of information and advice so you ’ re ready when elected officials ask a question like , “ How should we handle a protest that ’ s being planned for tomorrow ,
Chief ?” It may be unspoken , but they expect you to already have a plan .
A good start can be gaining intimate knowledge of local ordinances , and what authority and guidance they provide to aid officers ’ daily actions . Building on that , I found it was very helpful to keep in touch with policing trends and innovations across the state , and those being discussed within the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police . Further , there are several national policing associations working on and developing solutions to current and emerging issues in the profession . Gaining a broad base of knowledge will aid you in providing sound advice and input to elected officials , and help them to craft several possible options for working together through a short or long-term community issue .
One other important homework tip is to keep up with the issues elected officials are paying attention to for a preview of what may be coming soon to your community . What worked well for me was to monitor the issues being
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