Managers and police chiefs influence policy and culture in police departments. If the working relationship between these two local government officials is not good, then the mission of police departments can be in trouble. In the June Public Management (PM) magazine article “The Manager-Police Chief Relationship,” the message is clear: Trust and confidence between the two positions are key.

Managers and chiefs must share similar visions and values for their departments. They need to make sure, as the author advises, that police officers are properly recruited, hired, representative of the community served, trained, equipped, supervised, motivated, disciplined, treated for illness or injury, and supported in their work.

The article also advises that the two team players need to review these policies, along with others, for legality, fairness, and community acceptance:

• Use of force.
• Search without warrant or probably cause.
• Mass demonstrations.
• Gender identification.
• Racial profiling.
• Incentives, overt or implied, for arrests, citations, summonses, or tickets.
• Tactics that disproportionately impact certain groups more than others.
• Data gathering and information sharing.
• Use of technology.
• Public reporting.
• Harassment.
• Traditional versus SWAT-type uniforms.

For more specific details on these important positions, read “The Manager-Police Chief Relationship” in the June PM.