Roles Of A Police Supervisor

The Role of the Police Supervisor
As a new supervisor assigned to patrol, it is essential to have some basic leadership tools in ones “tool box” to ensure that you are successful. For the basic police officer we all attend the police academy and are influenced by the instructors assigned there. These instructors are usually seasoned officers who become our role models who we hope to emulate someday. Our first impression of the police supervisors are made here. Once the academy is completed, we are then indoctrinated in our agencies policies and procedures. We are assigned to a Field Training Officer or senior officer who becomes our new role model. The time assigned to your new mentor varies between each department. Our second example …show more content…
Anytime a supervisor performs a law enforcement function, they are acting as a police officer and not a supervisor. Does you subordinate officer need an extra pair of hands or are they better served with a supervisor who is a leader? As a leader, a fellow back up officer can be requested by the supervisor to assist leaving the supervisor to carry out his or her function. We all know that if you are patrolling your area of responsibility stuff is going to land in your lap. You are going to end up making arrests, etc. However, there are two general rules: First, you must know the difference between when you have to take action and when you have discretion not to do so. Two, you should occasionally and intentionally do your officers’ job if allowed by your departmental policy. There is tremendous value in directly experiencing your subordinates’ work environment. As an example, your officers are complaining about a departmental procedure that is hindering them from doing their job. Experiencing whatever the complaint may be will better help you understand it yourself. The results can be to better explain it to your subordinates, or to follow protocols to have the procedure changed or modified. Also, intervening when something is going completely wrong on a call is not doing your officer’s job; it is doing your job as a supervisor. If the fight is on and …show more content…
An example of this would be to ensure that all administrative responsibilities are adhered to. To read and evaluate each of your assigned subordinate’s personnel file, internal affairs file and past evaluations. To ensure that their recall information, emergency contact information or any other pertinent information is up to date. Any information that may be a current trend obtained from these files can be used as a critique such as past citizen complaints. From this critique roll call training can be developed to minimize future complaints and further protect your officers. This is also a good way of getting your subordinates to view you as a supervisor and role