Research has proven that there is no single group of traits that can be called leadership commonaltites and that the 'great man' theory of leadership is unsupportable. The situational view of leadership is becoming more popular, wherein leadership behavior can be understood only by explaining the context within which the behavior occurs. Thus, the total system, or at least those aspects of the system which most directly affect leadership behavior, must be considered; e.g., an officer who is a good leader in the patrol section may not be a good leader in other situations within the same organization. Investigators have also concluded with regard to leadership style, that of laissez-faire leaders who never volunteer help to a group, autocratic leaders who make all decisions, and democratic leaders who act as discussion leaders while groups make the decisions, the last of the three is the most effective. The more friendly and helpful the leader, the better the morale, the productivity, and the involvement of subordinates, and the lower the tension. Yet, while democratic styles might be preferred, leaders must be prepared to be flexible. In periods of crisis, such as riots or shootings, firm, immediate direction must be available to subordinates on the scene. The supervisor might conduct a 'postmortem' analysis with group discussions, but the emergency nature of such situations requires a change in leadership style. Instead of identifying a generalized type of police leader, various leadership situations must be examined and generalizations confined to specific types of leaders. Footnotes are provided.