How many of your direct reports have been disappointed by a lack of praise on your part?
STRUCTURED EXERCISE 9–1
The following are some signposts that help in judging if you were able to face the reality that you played a part in a problem—and also played a part in the solution. Think of a time you were complaining about someone or something else.
· • Ask yourself whether in that situation there was anything at all that you did to contribute to the problem.
· • Ask yourself whether the other person would say there was anything at all that you did to contribute to the problem.
· • Ask yourself what they would say you did to contribute to the problem.
· • Ask yourself what effect your contribution would have on the other person and how they would respond to it. What might they do or say in response?
· • Did they respond in any of the ways you would predict? If so, then you are most likely acting in a way that invites the behavior you complained about.
· • Did you make a change in your behavior? If so, did it improve the situation at all?
· • If you did not resolve the situation at the time, what do you think you could have done to resolve it?
DRAWING THE LINES!
· Although the community may disagree with, or be vague about, what constitutes police misconduct, the police cannot.
Granted, without community consensus on the subject, the problem is a highly perplexing one for the police. Nonetheless, misconduct must be defined and policies must be set by the agency. Lines must be clearly drawn. Essentially, these lines should encompass three forms of misconduct: (1) legalistic, (2) professional, and (3) ethical (moralistic). The first involves criminal considerations; the second may or may not be criminal in nature but does entail professional considerations; and the third may or may not include professional canons but does embody personal ethics. Specific examples of three forms of misconduct are as follows:
Legalistic Misconduct
This type of misconduct can be “corruption” or crimes against people and property. Police corruption is an extremely complex and demoralizing crime problem, and it is not new to our generation of police personnel. Police corruption includes (1) the misuse of police authority for the police employee’s personal gain; (2) activity of the police employee that compromises, or can compromise, his or her ability to enforce the law or provide other police services impartially; and (3) the protection of illicit activities from police enforcement, whether or not the police employee receives something of value in return. Crimes against people and property include such behavior as use of excessive force, falsifying criminal reports, and lying under oath.