Community Policing Exchange, March/April 1996 . Theme: Training Article One Training Goes Interactive By Sergeant Arthur D. Wiechmann Preparing for the Future There's no doubt that police training is integral to the continuing development and professionalism of law enforcement. The problem, however, is the expense. Police administrators today are faced with the enormous task of training all their sworn personnel (and sometimes nonsworn) in community policing. A partial solution has been to shift to on-the-job and in-house training. This requires members of an agency to become instructors and then train the others. An officer looking for lesson-plan material will have no problem finding what is needed with today's abundance of community policing information. But just because an individual can compile material does not make him or her a competent instructor. Being able to effectively present the material and planning activities that reinforce the information just transferred is what makes a good instructor. Unfortunately, this key factor is often overlooked by agencies. Training Versus Teaching Another misconception has to do with the term training. Training is the introduction and improvement of skills necessary to complete a task. To prepare officers to approach their jobs from a community policing perspective requires teaching. Teaching means presenting abstract concepts and following up with explanations and exercises of how those concepts relate to students and their responsibilities. Experienced instructors and educators are aware of the distinct differences between conventional teaching styles and adult learning methods. Trying to teach a police officer the same way one teaches a child is ineffective. An adult processes information very differently than a child does. Life and work experiences also play roles in how an individual learns. In the early years, an individual learns primarily by absorbing information. As one grows older and gains more experience and knowledge, however, less information is needed and more information assimilation is required. This is not to say that course content is unimportant. Adult learning must be a combination of quality content and effective assimilation processes such as experimentation, cognitive reflection and practical application. Assimilation Techniques Learn-by-doing techniques are very effective ways of teaching and training adults. This is why on-the-job training is so effective. Instructors will discover that an individual's retention level is much higher when he or she is actively involved in learning and not just listening. Instructors need to blend course content with work-related activity. Remember, learning is a two- part process absorbing information and applying it. If, for example, an officer is learning crime-prevention concepts, part of the learning process should include practical application. The instructor might want to assign each officer to compare a crime-ridden location with a crime-free location, and then report back on the important differences tehy observed. The immediate connection between information and practical use will help officers retain the material just learned. Officers also learn by participating in case studies, real or simulated, and by using newly learned concepts to solve scenarios. Group discussions are also excellent for solidifying what students have just learned. Exercises like these reinforce the importance of collaboration and information sharing to find the most effective solutions to problems. Include some type of active involvement every 20 minutes (discussion, questions, practice). The more the five senses are used, the greater the ability to learn. Purposeful activity improves the learning process. Maximum learning occurs when there is a combination of verbal, visual and hands-on activity. Management Responsibility Obviously, adult learning requires a much higher level of commitment by the learners than is required in conventional learning. If police officers are to be properly trained in community policing concepts, they must be motivated to take an active role in their learning. Management must promote an environment that ensures employees have the proper mindset for effective learning. Attitudes are just as important for learning as are skills and knowledge. Instructors alone cannot develop proper attitudes for effective learning. A desire to learn is created by encouragement and a positive self-image. Educator John Dewey once wrote If I hear, I forget. If I see, I remember. If I do, I understand. If we want our officers to understand, we must foster an environment for them to want to do. This, coupled with an effective mixture of quality course content and assimilation techniques will ensure a successful teaching or training program. For more information contact Sergeant Arthur D. Wiechmann, Fullerton Police Department, 237 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, CA 92632. Phone: (714) 738-6790. Fax: (714) 773-1043. Article Two COPS Director Says Training is Integral to Organizational Change Joseph E. Brann was sworn in as director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) on Dec. 19, 1994. Brann formerly served as police chief in Hayward, Calif., a community of 125,000 people, located in the San Francisco Bay area. During his tenure in Hayward, Brann implemented a nationally respected community policing program that has been used as a model by police departments across the country. He has also lectured and written on the community policing. Before becoming chief of the Hayward Police Department, Brann served in the Santa Ana, Calif., Police Department from 1969 to 1990. While in Santa Ana, a community of 300,000, Brann designed, developed and managed a wide array of community policing and crime prevention programs that have been recognized as national models. Brann received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from California State University at Fullerton in 1975, followed by a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California in 1979. During the Vietnam Conflict, Brann served in Korea as a member of the U.S. Army. Brann is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. Q1.How should community policing training affect a department's organizational structure? A1.A police agency must go through an organizational and cultural transition if it is to move successfully into community policing. It requires chief executives, top administrators, middle managers and others to challenge and set aside some of their prior beliefs and management techniques. It is not an easy process. But I have seen this happen successfully numerous times, and training assistance helps. Training and education are also helpful in encouraging traditional, rule-driven organizations to adopt new models of organizational management, and have proven to be more effective in both the corporate and public sectors. Q2.How is this transition process achieved through training? A2.You start with the basics. Community policing is value-oriented, not rule-driven, and establishing that foundation steers the process. Historically, police training focused on teaching technical skills and adherence to the right procedures. Those aspects are still important. But the transition to community policing requires an emphasis on outcomes and expectations, which is why a mission statement or a sense of purpose is essential. Once that's established, the process is underway. The next step in training is to work with strategies and methods that move a department's personnel into activities through their awareness of established values, goals and the department's mission. Every aspect of the organization should be evaluated, and if necessary, strategies and methods should be refined or improved through the training. Remember, a key element of this philosophy is its adaptability. As long as values and objectives are kept in sight, the right kind of activities will occur. Q3.Do you feel that organizational change can effectively occur without community policing training, or is the training integral to change taking place? A3.I think training is essential. A very simple example relates to the delegation skills and discretion exercised by chief executives, middle managers and supervisory personnel. If they have been engaged in the same type of command activities for many years, it's often very hard for them to give up some of their authority. But decentralization in a department, where and when it's possible, is a positive goal. Decentralizing decision-making to ensure that appropriate decision-making and discretion are exercised at the lowest possible level leads to enhanced effectiveness of officers on the street, and their success benefits the entire organization and the community. Training is helpful and often necessary in luring police executives away from traditional methods that are comfortable, even though they might not always be effective. It is important for executives to build upon the training and information that has been established. But I don't think it is advisable for a department to try to establish a community policing operation without the training tools that are now available. Q4.What are your plans for COPS-sponsored training and technical assistance? A4.In our first year the COPS office focused on awarding hiring grants, and with more than 25,000 additional officers now funded, it paid off. During that time, we began to use the Community Policing Consortium to assist with our training and technical assistance efforts. In the near future, additional COPS-funded community policing training will be provided to complement the Consortium. We're still busy evaluating the best techniques, methods and subject areas, and we're eager to hear what people want from us in training and how they want it delivered. We will be funding regional community policing training centers in different areas of the United States. We're also looking at going beyond traditional classroom lectures that seem to predominate in police training. Perhaps problem-solving exercises in the field that include interaction with key community agencies and community groups are more effective. In remote areas where trainee-trainer interactions are difficult, we'll be looking at things like interactive computers, CD-ROMS, teleconferencing, and satellite networks to bring people together. It's important to remember that there is no one way to do this. COPS Office A Brief Overview Hiring More Officers By cutting through red tape, COPS awarded grants in just over a year to hire or redeploy over 31,000 police officers and sheriffs' deputies to patrol America's streets. Through the Universal Hiring Program, COPS will continue to help states and local communities add officers into the future. Special Projects By providing the funds to acquire new technologies and equipment, hire civilians for administrative tasks, and pay for officer overtime, COPS MORE is allowing local police agencies to redeploy officers so more of their time is spent on the streets solving problems instead of at the station completing paperwork. Troops to Cops funds the training of soldiers recently separated from the military and hired as community police officers. Working with the Violence Against Women Office, COPS is funding Community Policing to Combat Domestic Violence grants to local communities. Under its Youth Firearms Violence Initiative, COPS awarded grants of up to $1 million to 10 cities for innovative programs to stop firearms violence by and against young people. Innovative Community Policing Grants will create local demonstration projects, encourage organization-wide commitment to community policing, and promote problem-solving efforts. Training and Public Education The Comprehensive Communities Program is providing on-site training in 10 cities to firmly establish community policing strategies. As its contribution to the Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities program, COPS is supplying technical assistance and training to urban and rural areas to reduce youth violence and delinquency. The Community Policing Consortium, funded by COPS, pools the expertise of five leading law enforcement organizations to provide training and technical assistance to practitioners across the country. COPS also creates and distributes its own fact sheets and policy papers to policymakers and members of the law enforcement community. First-Year Accomplishments (side bar) Hiring Goals Exceeded: A little over one year after the Crime Act was signed, funds were authorized to add more than 31,000 officers almost a third of the final goal, for the six-year program. Widespread Impact: Hiring grants have been awarded to more than half the police and sheriffs' agencies in the country. Half of the funds went to communities with fewer than 150,000 residents. As a result, officers hired or redeployed will serve more than three-quarters of the populace. Customer Service: Under COPS, each state is assigned its own grant adviser and direct-dial phone number to assist in filling out applications and answering questions. An 800 number was established so citizens could call for information about COPS and other Crime Act programs. Easy Applications: Unlike most federal grant programs, COPS grants made it easy for local police departments to apply for grants. For smaller towns applying to the COPS FAST program, the form was just one page. Plus, communities already receiving COPS hiring funds and seeking additional officers will not have to continually reapply, but rather will only indicate the number of new officers needed. Article Three How To Make Change Work The need for good communication is obvious. It is essential that administrators establish a positive climate for change among employees and community members. Here are a few suggestions on how that can be accomplished. Think holistically. Nearly everyone is guilty of tunnel vision. We fall into this mindset when we consider only our own agency, jobs, tasks, budget or mission. We decrease our chances of success when we fail to consider the big picture and to recognize all the factors in and parties affected by the proposed change. We must balance human needs with technical, safety, environmental and budgetary needs, knowing that we can't please all of the people all of the time. Concentrate on communication. Be prepared for change to destroy established communication. Since rumors will fly, be sure all stakeholders in the department and community are wired into the changes and are given solid information before making any announcements. Everyone needs to know what's going down. The communication process is as vital as the change itself. Work with a planning committee. Provide staff, volunteers and community personnel with opportunities to participate in the program's design and implementation. Keep in mind that it is no longer appropriate to use a miliary command structure to get things done. If they're there for the take-off, they will be motivated to help during the flight. Negotiate. You may not succeed in selling others on all your viewpoints. However, if you can get 30 percent of what you want today and 20 percent tomorrow and 30 percent two years from now, you will eventually have up to 80 percent of what you want. Complete victories occur only in John Wayne movies. Partial victories are realistic victories. Use time to refine the program. Time allows for second thoughts and provides opportunities for trade-offs with other players. Time also allows better approaches to evolve. Also, asking for a series of short time frames to implement systematic change in small steps will aid the organization's adjustments and your own. Avoid using time to stall. Establish relationships with other key players. Major change nearly always requires changes in the political structure. In some cases, change means organizational realignments and power-position shifts. It also means working with outside groups and using staff to speak to the public through the media. Even without formal hierarchy changes, a major program modification means pecking-order changes and changes in the nuance of power. Avoid sandbagging the change. After the negotiation and discussion periods are over, and the decisions made, put your shoulder to the wheel and make it move. To continue to fight for your specific plans and wishes when other choices have been decided on is folly. Know that when "the bell of choice" sounds, the fight is over. Support others' ideas and programs. Reacting to available information is a characteristic of successful change. Reward people for acting rather than waiting to have all the information. Put everyone on teams with others they don't know. This will provide cross-learning. Provide constructive and immediate feedback. Research shows that as many as 50 percent of performance problems occur because others don't get the feedback they need. Just after implementing a change, ask agency employees and community groups to suggest ideas for the next change. This will reinforce change as the norm. Play a role in getting everyone to think longer term by involving them more deeply in the change process. Arrange for changes to coincide with tasks that allow employees to use their old skills. They will accept change faster if they feel that some of the skills are transferable. Show that why they're working has not changed. But how they accomplish the why may have changed. Conclusion Change represents the unknown. But necessary change change that represents genuine progress must occur if an organization is to remain effective. No organization is serving its own best interest if it is serving yesterday's priorities. By James Onder Based on "Changes and Choices" by Clayton Sherman and Mark Silber. U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St., S.W., Room 5119, Washington, DC 20590. Phone: (202) 366-9785. Article Four Kick-Start Training Strategies North Aurora, Ill. The strategies below outline how chiefs and sheriffs can work together to bring in and develop low-cost and effective regional community policing training. Strategy 1. Network. Use professional contacts and pals. Don't be afraid to go outside of the department for experts, but screen them carefully. Tell the individuals that you are checking out their past training successes. Strategy 2. Share in the expenses. One way departments can reduce costs is to share with other departments the costs of travel, lodging, instructor honoraria and handouts. Arrange for larger courses to be held in free facilities such as high schools, county fairground buildings, fire stations, community rooms, libraries, or even the basement of a community golf course. Strategy 3. Create an atmosphere of adult learning. View officers as untapped sources of innovation. Adopt a serious attitude regarding adult learning. Allow officers to express their feelings and share their visions. Get people involved. Alter information and power bases. Take a leap of faith that people enjoy working and want to feel important; but remember, growth comes in both emotional and intellectual stages. Strategy 4. All instructors are role models and should be practitioners whenever possible. Use those who have had successful and unsuccessful programs. Instructors should be able to explain why things go wrong. Let others learn from their instructors' failures. Stay away from perfectly capable but inexperienced officers who haven't made enough community policing mistakes. Strategy 5. Teaching any course requires a great deal of preparation. Expect the best from instructors, but if possible arrange for them to teach easier courses first. This will allow them to learn as much as they can about the departments they are training. Pay instructors who are off- duty; make it a win-win situation for them. Strategy 6. Send your trainers and officers to other agencies. The more they train, the more they will learn and the better at training they will become. Ask other agencies with grants to come and train your officers. Strategy 7. If you can't find money, find a department, grantor, chiefs' or sheriffs' association, or regional training unit that does have money and is willing to work out a trade with your department. Your part of the trade can include loaning equipment, specialists, instructors, etc. Strategy 8.Evaluate all training so that instructors, and those who select them, don't repeat mistakes. Bring in a variety of instructors. Bring back the ones who have more to say, more to build upon and more to share. Use instructors who enjoy teaching and like to come to your region. Strategy 9. Diversity of offerings will enrich us all. No matter how we police our communities, good ideas are good ideas. A variety of training programs serves as an opportunity for other ideas to develop. Cross-pollinate by having instructors attend innovative programs. Attempt to get the departments offering the programs to share in costs. Strategy 10. Don't let money get in the way. When you've found the best instructors, help their departments by sharing tuition costs, room and board, mileage, travel, etc. Be a partner. To find out more about North East Multi-Regional Training or the Illinois Mobile ASSIST Program, contact John C. Haley, Deputy Director for Research, North East Multi-Regional Training, 1 Smoke Tree Plaza, Suite 111, North Aurora, IL 60541-1718. Phone: (708) 896-8860 ext. 107. Fax: (708) 896-4422. Article Five Fair Treatment for All: Equal Opportunity Police Training Rockland County, N.Y. Rockland is a great county and one of the most unique in New York state. The county borders Connecticut, New Jersey, New York City and Westchester, and has a population of approximately 265,000. Its proximity to New York City has attracted people from 15 different cultures. Rockland's rich diversity rivals that of the United Nations. Settled in groups throughout the county are people of Jamaican, Korean, Hasidic, Filipino, Cambodian, Haitian, Chinese and Ramapough Mountain Indian origins. Because the county is so diverse, law enforcement officers have the added responsibility of learning and being sensitive to the various cultures, customs, and religions of the citizens they serve. Under the leadership of Sheriff James Kralik, the Rockland County Sheriff's Office developed a police sensitivity training manual to help law enforcement officers better understand and more fairly treat the community's citizens. The training manual is based on a similar program developed by the London Metropolitan Police Department and was constructed with the assistance of the Rockland County Police Chief's Association. Rockland's manual is targeted to law enforcement professionals from top brass to rookies and auxiliary personnel to judges. The manual's purpose is to break down the barriers between police and citizens. It includes materials that teach officers about the many diverse cultures, religions and ethnic groups that compose Rockland County's populace. An Overview The 200-page sensitivity training manual was created with input from 15 individuals who represent the various cultures in Rockland County. Each person contributed material that describes their culture, including information about their particular religion, language, characteristics and community dynamics. This group also serves as a liaison council and works with the sheriff's office to facilitate communication between the officers and citizens. The training manual is an integral part of the Rockland County Police Academy curriculum and is used as a resource to answer questions about the multicultural, multireligious, multiracial Rockland community. It is a tool for both the learner and facilitator to better understand the people around them. One of the manual's purposes is to make officers aware of each culture so they will not make insensitive generalizations and judgments out of ignorance. The manual addresses controversial topics and attempts to dampen prejudicial and racist behavior by teaching officers how to appropriately deal with the challenges of cultural diversity. Female officers, for instance, learn that touching a Hasidic male is considered offensive. Ramapough Mountain Indian pow- wows are also covered so that officers know what to expect when they enter this population's neighborhood. The training manual creates situations that demonstrate both positive and negative outcomes to help officers understand the importance of approach. The manual also extends beyond cultural diversity and describes methods to appropriately handle issues of sexism, racism, religion, legislation, and service policy. This manual is a comprehensive look at who we are, how we treat each other, and in some cases, why we behave as we do. How Other Departments Can Benefit From the Manual Information in the manual is tailored to Rockland County; however, it serves as an excellent model or resource guide for other law enforcement agencies interested in addressing their communities cultural issues. By Marie Merla To receive a copy of the Rockland County Training Manual contact Sheriff James F. Kralik, Rockland County Sheriff's Office, 55 New Hempstead Road, New City, NY 10956. Phone: (914) 638-5421. Fax: (914) 638-5035. Article Six City Employees Get Trained in Police Services Richmond, Va. City employees fill the hallways and roadways of most police jurisdictions, and city employees are in an excellent position to help police departments achieve community policing goals. It occurred to us that we should launch a city employee community policing training program and educate this valuable segment of our population in police procedures. How the Program Works Our first Richmond City Employee Police Academy training session will begin in March 1996. We developed a 14-week course that is similar in structure and format to our citizen's police academy. The city employee academy, like the citizen academy, will educate attendees in community policing's philosophy and methods. The new academy will also introduce attendees to the police department's policies and procedures. The big difference between the two academies is that the new one will target 4700 individuals who work for the city of Richmond. This training forum will bring police officers and city employees together in a way where they can put faces with names of individuals they regularly talk to but have never seen. Our students will learn about the issues police face every single day: domestic violence, street-level drug dealing, poverty, truancy and the proliferation of weapons. Trainers will also discuss the impact that graffiti, noise and unsafe business practices have on crime. City employees will be encouraged to do officer ride-alongs and see the world from behind law enforcement windshields. All city employees from support staff to managers are eligible to attend the three-hour weekly academy. Each city employee training session has room for 45 students and will be offered up to three times a year. Some of the Benefits We feel there are numerous benefits to training city employees. Perhaps the very least is city employees will become more knowledgeable about police work. At most, city employees could emerge strong advocates of the police department and community policing. They could become active partners in the fight against crime partners who initiate even better ways for city agencies to work together. City employees are likely to have more of an impact when they better understand how problems such as inadequate lighting, graffiti and condemned buildings can foster crime. They can also get out in front of these issues and help other citizens realize that they can make a difference. We feel we are not only building stronger relationships by involving city employees in a more open dialogue but that we are doing a better job of embracing community policing's true spirit. City Manager Robert Bob, an ardent supporter of Richmond's citizen academy, knew how much city employees could benefit from similar training. Our city employees are out in the neighborhoods every day, said Bobb. They can be the eyes and ears of crime prevention if we train them and give them exposure to police operations. We are truly excited about our new venture and its potential to solve community problems. There are many community policing approaches. But the bottom line is that we need to take advantage of every possible resource and every ounce of potential to help community policing succeed. The Richmond City Employee Police Academy is certainly one more way to address the grime before its crime. By Chief Jerry A. Oliver For more information on this new program contact Chief Jerry A. Oliver, Richmond Police Department, 501 N. 9th St., Room G-35, Richmond, VA 23219-1544. Phone: (804) 780-6700. Article Seven Citizen Training Pays Dividends Fresno, Calif. Law enforcement officers are no strangers to training. Many Fresno police officers actively seek training beyond that which is mandated searching for new techniques, tactics and information that will help them in their ever-changing occupation. These same officers acknowledged the impact training can have and wondered if the department should be providing training to individuals outside of law enforcement. They frequently discussed whether or not police officers should attempt to teach community members how to improve their lives and positively coexist in today's society. The Fresno Police Department, as part of its normal training schedule, sent Officer Vickie Dellone, along with several other officers, to the California School of Professional Psychology for empowerment training. When the officers completed the course they were convinced that training citizens in these skills would not only benefit the citizens, but would be a good return on investment for the department. Dellone arranged to teach the empowerment techniques to residents of a low-income apartment complex. These tenants had minimal education and either were exposed to or participated in criminal activity. Dellone scheduled a one-hour class each week for six weeks. Her objective was to provide attendees with tools to help them be self-sufficient. Part of the training required the tenants to take a realistic look at their life and then make a commitment to positive change. Dellone's approach was stern, yet compassionate. She made her expectations very clear to the tenants and didn't tolerate excuses. Twelve individuals, on average, attended Dellone's classes. At the end of the six-week period, eight tenants graduated for attending all, or all but one, of the classes. Dellone considered the course extremely successful. She knew that it was the first time many of the students had ever received praise and acknowledgement. Did the Training Make a Difference? Tony (not his real name) is one of the tenants who attended Dellone's empowerment classes. Tony was a disheveled man who had little education and frequently used cocaine. In spite of his problems, Tony had a strong desire to be a better father and wanted more contact with his estranged children. Tony knew, however, that he would have to make some dramatic changes in his life before that could happen. Tony approached Officer Dellone after attending a few classes and asked her what she thought his chances were of forming a relationship with his children. Dellone firmly responded that Tony would have to change his appearance and his approach to life. Tony completed the course, improved his appearance, found a job, and has reportedly chased the narcotic monkey from his back. Tony is no longer engaged in criminal activity and now has custody of all three of his children. As for the other graduates, seven of the eight moved out of their apartment building to better locations; one individual even became the manager of a four-plex. Although the eighth graduate still lives in the same building, that individual is now enrolled in college and continues to make progress. In police talk, positive changes like these directly result in fewer calls for service. So is training outsiders a worthwhile endeavor? The officers here at Fresno P.D. sure think so. By Captain Lynn Button For more information on citizen empowerment training contact Captain Lynn Button, Fresno Police Department, 2323 Mariposa, Fresno CA 93721. Phone: (209) 498-4202. Fax: (209) 488- 1010. Article Eight Salt Lake City Prepares Officers for Transition Salt Lake City, Utah The Salt Lake City Police Department published its first formal five-year strategic plan in the summer of 1991. This event marked the department's earnest transition to community policing. The department was just starting to formalize its community policing commitments to officers and citizens when I assumed the chief's position in December 1992. Most law enforcement leaders are aware that when you're selling change, police officers can be a hard bunch to convince. To counter skepticism, police officers and citizens were brought in at the onset of implementation to learn about community policing's potential. Every officer, regardless of rank or duty assignment, received in-house community policing training, and each learned of the philosophy's goals, objectives, limitations and envisioned potential for our city. Initially, we assigned certain officers to high-crime areas in the city and did so without compromising shift strength in the field. These officers focused their attention on community policing efforts when not responding to calls. Today, Salt Lake City's community policing program has grown to the point that no officer is a community policing officer per se. All of our officers are trained in community policing, and all are expected to exemplify the philosophy, regardless of current assignments. These days, it's not uncommon to see off-duty, uniformed officers attending city council, community council and other public meetings. Officers attend these meetings so they can personally hear citizens' concerns; the meetings also give officers the opportunity to educate citizens about police capabilities, available options, and why it is sometimes best for us to divert calls for service to more appropriate public or private sources for resolution. Our shift to community policing has happened hand-in-hand with the implementation of our Neighborhood Police Offices (NPO). The department has established 11 NPOs in all of the city council's seven districts in the last four years. Grocery stores, strip malls, regional shopping centers and shelter facilities are just some of the businesses that have donated office space for the project. The NPOs are not full precincts, and they do not operate around the clock. But they function well as places where officers and department volunteers can meet with citizens, take complaints and address specific neighborhood issues. Many of the citizen volunteers who staff the NPOs are retired officers drawn back to the neighborhoods they patrolled and loved, who still have a desire to help citizens feel safe in their homes and businesses. Salt Lake City P.D. established a Mobile Neighborhood Watch Program in 1993. Citizen volunteers receive an initial 30-hours of police training and are required to participate in ongoing training to maintain eligibility. Mobile Watch is citizen-regulated and-administered. Shift schedules, field performance policies, internal disciplines and terminations are all handled by citizens. The initial training class of 25 citizens has grown to 550 in only two-and-a-half years. Citizens have been directly responsible for numerous arrests, life-saving medical responses and other on-view field situations through the Mobile Neighborhood Watch program. Does It Cost A Lot? A question commonly posed to community policing practitioners is How do you fund your program? Salt Lake City P.D. received a Comprehensive Communities Grant that funded additional community policing officers. However, community policing does not require special funding. A law enforcement agency can resolve community concerns with effective and progressive leadership, and good field supervision. Salt Lake City's need for additional staff and funds was not a result of implementing community policing, but of increased population and calls for service. We have found that community policing provides a department with tremendous options and advantages, especially as demands for police services continue to rise and budgets decrease. Salt Lake City's police department and city administration have fully backed community policing. Our police department has integrated community policing into every aspect of command, training and administrative operations. As a result, community policing has been a great success in Salt Lake City. Citizens in Salt Lake City also support community policing. They like being involved, and they like having input in the city's crime-solving initiatives. Citizens have demonstrated their support and appreciation through letters, surveys and media reports. Our department will continue to use the community policing philosophy as a focal point in all of our command and administrative decisions. I fully believe community policing will provide scope and purpose for law enforcement agencies, regardless of size and locale, for many years to come. By Chief Ruben B. Ortega For more information contact Chief Ruben B. Ortega, Salt Lake City Police Department, 318 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City, UT 54111. Phone: (801) 779-3000. Fax: (801) 799-2557. Article Nine Officers Select Ideal Supervisors St. Petersburg, Fla. The challenges to supervisors operating under a community policing philosophy are indeed daunting, especially for first-line supervisors. Sergeants are expected to be a new breed of supervisor. The sergeant of the 1990s has had to learn a new vocabulary terms such as empowerment, SARA, facilitator, temporal, POP project, community policing area, and flexible shift and sector command to mention just a few. It's no wonder that sergeants are often perplexed about what all of this means. Sergeants are often skeptical of changes that seem to conflict with their view of what is traditional. Today, squads have disappeared and have been replaced with community policing teams. Chain of command now seems to be a nebulous concept. And what about discipline and personnel evaluations? These are some of the trials and tribulations that sergeants are experiencing in their new roles as coaches, facilitators, resource managers and team leaders. Sergeants are finding that their jobs are a lot harder and much more demanding under a community policing philosophy. And that's the way it should be. Supervising under the umbrella of community policing makes for better supervision. There is a broader sense of supervisory purpose and accomplishment. Supervision has meaning because problems are collectively identified and solved with real leadership from a sergeant. Proactive leadership makes things happen and is not just a reaction to routine calls for service. The Ideal Community Policing Sergeant So what are the characteristics of the ideal community policing sergeant? The St. Petersburg, Fla., Police Department asked this question in 1991 when we committed to implementing community policing city-wide. It was agreed that community policing officers would be supervised by a lieutenant and three sergeants. (A lieutenant at that time, I and one sergeant had already been chosen by department staff to fill two of the four positions. We were part of the original community policing development team.) The 44 newly selected community police officers selected the remaining two sergeants from a list of 54. A simple and straight- forward system was designed to keep the process from becoming a popularity contest. The Selection Process The community police officers met as a group and were told that the selection process would be conducted in two stages. In the first stage they would develop the selection criteria, and in the second, they would match the criteria to the list of sergeants. The officers would select five officers from the 54, three of whom would be alternates. The department staff agreed that the officers selections would be binding that is the chief would approve them given that those sergeants accepted the assignment. Stage 1 The officers were asked to articulate, from their perspective, the characteristics of the ideal community policing sergeant. Based on the officers' input, a list of characteristics, traits, skills, abilities, and competencies was developed. The officers then compiled a second list, but this time from management's perspective. They were instructed to list the qualities that would be important to them if they were in charge of these supervisors. The officers' lists were as follows: Ideal Community Police Sergeant Officers' Perspective Managers' Perspective availability proactive leadership decisive flexibility leadership champion coach innovative trustworthy quality sense of humor experience (varied) flexible trustworthy organizational skills facilitator time management good speaker creative open minded dependable respected caring of people sense of humor verbal/writing skills risk taker resource manager supportive admits mistakes coach positive motivator buffer carries out department mission dependable manages diversity personality Stage 2 The officers applied the matrix of the above characteristics to the department's list of sergeants. The officers narrowed the list by totaling the scores to see which supervisors exhibited the most characteristics. The officers individually discussed their personal observations, interactions and experiences with these sergeants to validate this process. Hearsay was not allowed. The officers were asked to focus their discussions on behavior rather than personality. This process generated thoughtful and enlightening discussions that selected the five candidates and eventually the department's two new community policing sergeants. The Final Step The officers were asked how they felt about the procedure once the decision-making process was over. Collectively the officers expressed amazement at not only getting their selections but in being trusted to make such important decisions. The new community policing sergeants also expressed pleasure in being selected in this manner. As an aside, both of the sergeants chosen were ultimately promoted to lieutenants. St. Petersburg P.D. has used this process many times for other supervisory selections. It has continued to be a very effective and meaningful procedure for the officers. In turn, the officers have shown that they have excellent insight and a keen awareness of what is important in a community policing sergeant. All we have to do is ask. By Major Donald S. Quire For more information contact Major Donald S. Quire, St. Petersburg Police Department, Vice and Narcotics Division, 1300 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33705. Phone: (813) 824-5940. Fax: (813) 824-5918. Article Ten Curmudgeon Citizen By Al Forman If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning and the afternoon and evening all over this land. I'd hammer on the heads of every budgetmeister who thinks that the best place to cut expenses is from the training budget. Sometimes training seems to be the invisible man, or at least not as visible as a patrol car showing the flag. But the effects of good training can surpass those of more visible police activities. It's a given that every officer had better be proficient with his or her weapons. When all else fails, cuff'em and stuff'em is a reasonable choice. However, I'm not thinking of that kind of training. Let's focus on training in social and conceptual skills. Let's try to get every officer to really understand and appreciate community policing and its potential. That means a generous helping of training funds...for conflict resolution...for language awareness...for building mutual trust...for problem solving...for interpersonal communication...for knowing when to speak with your mouth and when to let your baton speak for you. The end result of such training could be fewer injury days, fewer disability pensions, less overtime, less paperwork, and fewer liability awards all measurable savings. A thousand bucks saved here, and a million bucks saved there, and pretty soon it adds up to real money. Senior officers have an education job to do on those who control the purse strings. Perhaps we can come up with a slogan like the education activists have: If you think the cost of education is high, try ignorance. How about: Train now or pain later? Al Forman is a regular contributor to Community Policing Exchange. Mr. Forman is a volunteer with the police department in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and produces the department's public newsletter, titled Community.