An interesting question
From an anonymous poster in the comments section of the "Open Thread:"
- Okay, is it me or is the superintendent appointing more and more folks to commander's posts that are less qualified? In the past, people with the juice were made, that's expected. These days though it appears commanders who worked about a minute on the streets, or in an Area, are made.
Now there is no way to tell the age or job experience of the poster. An old timer might feel any of the younger set are less qualified than contemporaries of him/herself and a younger college educated person might feel that anyone with less school credentials than him/herself, regardless of age, is less qualified than them.
We will offer these observations and then stand aside for any commentary: This job has changed immensely in the past 10 to 15 years (and we don't say 10 to 15 for any particular reason so don't read into it. If you count our family members, we've been part of the police family since the 60's.) Over 60% of Patrol is made up of people with under 10 years. We are seeing the last of the Vietnam era coppers rapidly retire. This has led to a HUGE experience drain on the department. At the same time, the college requirements to get on the job and get promoted are provoking a larger "war" between newer and traditional ways of doing police work. Thirty years ago, data collection and crime mapping were as far removed from policing as portable radios and two man cars were thirty years before that. Things change, and the Department is traditionally very wary and hide bound where change is concerned. The bosses you will see advancing farthest and fastest (besides the clout babies) are the ones who can use the changing technology utilized by the Department.
As to the Superintendent promoting less qualified people than in the past, it's all a matter of opinion. What qualifies someone to be a boss? College? Politics? Exams? Politics? The ability to make a "believable" excuse after you piss hot? Politics? Wearing a wire on your tact team and getting a bunch of them jailed? Politics? Running a ring of jewel thieves? Politics maybe? Comment away people...this oughta be good.
We will offer these observations and then stand aside for any commentary: This job has changed immensely in the past 10 to 15 years (and we don't say 10 to 15 for any particular reason so don't read into it. If you count our family members, we've been part of the police family since the 60's.) Over 60% of Patrol is made up of people with under 10 years. We are seeing the last of the Vietnam era coppers rapidly retire. This has led to a HUGE experience drain on the department. At the same time, the college requirements to get on the job and get promoted are provoking a larger "war" between newer and traditional ways of doing police work. Thirty years ago, data collection and crime mapping were as far removed from policing as portable radios and two man cars were thirty years before that. Things change, and the Department is traditionally very wary and hide bound where change is concerned. The bosses you will see advancing farthest and fastest (besides the clout babies) are the ones who can use the changing technology utilized by the Department.
As to the Superintendent promoting less qualified people than in the past, it's all a matter of opinion. What qualifies someone to be a boss? College? Politics? Exams? Politics? The ability to make a "believable" excuse after you piss hot? Politics? Wearing a wire on your tact team and getting a bunch of them jailed? Politics? Running a ring of jewel thieves? Politics maybe? Comment away people...this oughta be good.
posted by SCC at 9:10 PM
7 Comments:
P.O.: Hey Sgt. I need to take an hour on the end.
New Sgt.: OOO... I don't know, I might have to ask the W.C., were really short on manpower and....ah...ga....(knee's shaking)
-----------------------------------
P.O.: hey Sgt. I need to take an hour on the end.
Old boss: Leave a slip in my mail box.
New boss's are so scared to make any kind of a decision, that its almost comical. Just look at how many times a G.O. is changed.
10 years ago you would get maybe 1 g.o. a month. Now you get 5 a day!
I was the one who posted the orginal message. Here's the point. College does not make you a better copper any more than not going to college.
Look you'll always need folks in tech-type jobs and (for lack of better word intelligicuals) in the department. Yet, when people with less and less experience on the streets make the decisions then something is amiss.
I see it all the time. Watch commanders saying:
get a rejection from the ASA, I need a name;
I know isn't a good felony, and the dets won't come out, but call the area and get a name;
charge him with something, so we can cover our asses,
and the two best of all:
I know it is bull****, but I'm getting the CR# "for your benefit."
I can't call the street deputy, what will he think of me if i do?
If you're right I'll back you all the way to the Superintendent
Hey!! If I'm right I don't need a boss toback me, it'll come out that wayin the end anyways. Most bosses are afraid to cover their guys because they'll worry about what some boss above themwill say.
Do you want to buy beat 1750's beat tag? Go to ebay and type in item # 3983808313.
I've been a boss for 15 years so I don't think I'm particularly new at the game but I'll tell you one reason new Sgts are afraid to make decisions - its all the second guessing by the people above them. When the D/C keeps telling you how to schedule your people, whose going to work the desk, whose going to work in civies, what cars to assign to whom - tell me why do we need W/C, F.Lt's or Sgts. We all need to let the people under us make decisions, whether we agree with them or not, as long as those decisions don't creat untenable situations. . . Think about it.
too much micro management because too many people are covering too many asses
the upshot is the department needs to do something to address the serious shortages in the patrol division. the "go-to" sergeants are severely overworked while the rest have just tuned out. couple that with the failure of the department to properly train the hoards of new officers combined with the utter lack of common sense displayed by some of the newer officers on the job, its just a crap shoot as to what will happen next. as the amount of officers who will blame their partners, sergeants, detectives, or anybody else when things go wrong rises, the amount of ass-covering by the bosses will rise as well. officers, educate yourselves and take responsibility for your own mistakes. bosses, as the people under you show they can be trusted, so trust them and let them do their job.
None of these comments are new. We said the same things in taverns in 1973.
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