The quality of written directives significantly influences police officers' effectiveness. An effective written directive system requires that only the chief departmental executive promulgate directives explaining goals and that command officers and line supervisors develop directives applicable to their units. Expectations must be clearly stated. Policy directives summarize a department's position on the direction or limitations of agency authority. Procedure directives describe expected methods of operation and are directed to a specific task within the guidelines of policy. Procedures can be permanent or temporary. Rule directives focus on the specific actions of police officers, are inflexible, and do not allow for individual discretion. Directives regarding supplementary material should be kept separate from other directives and include instructional material and memoranda. Meaningful, effective directives must be legal, understandable, and current, and must reflect officer participation. Authority to issue directives must be controlled. A classification and numbering system must be established to permit easy retrieval. Directives must be distributed to every officer personally. Training should be conducted regarding new directives and their effects on daily procedure. Supervisors should assist officers in developing work habits that conform with directives and organizational expectations. Thus, supervisors should understand completely departmental policy, procedures, and rules of conduct, and should be able to clarify for officers specific departmental goals. An example of a directive is provided, together with a discussion guide and questions and answers.