Effective Leadership in Policing

Book excerpt: When crisis and scandal emerge in law enforcement organizations, leadership is often identified as a key factor contributing to those failures. Police agencies continue to struggle to adopt and fully implement innovative practices to facilitate long-term reductions in crime and disorder. There is an acute need for better leaders and leadership in policing. Effective Leadership in Policing examines the traits and habits of effective police leaders using survey data collected from over 1,800 mid-career police supervisors attending the prestigious FBI National Academy program in Quantico, VA. The book emphasizes eight traits supervisors identified with effective police leaders, including: honesty and integrity; listening and communication; delegation and empowerment; interpersonal skills; trust and fairness; taking action; innovation and growth; and, leading by example. Attention is also given to the traits and habits of ineffective police leaders, those who are in positions where they should be able to provide a positive influence in their workplace, but fail to do so. The book concludes with a consideration of how more effective leaders might be developed in policing. The book blends narrative data with a review of prior leadership research to provide an understanding of why and how police supervisors link a core group of traits and habits with greater leadership efficacy.