The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | May 2017
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these three factors alone are known to activate chemicals in the body that goes a long way to supporting a community belonging , as well as ownership .
So , let us look at the detail here . What was Chief Williams actually saying about “ control ?” You can clearly see this in some of the reality TV programs in the UK that have TV crews riding along with police in the big cities , policing the night time economy , for example , where UK police officers are seen to want to “ control ” what they see , and are pretty much pessimistic about who they may be dealing with that night , never trusting anyone . They have an acute need to control the situation based upon years of exposure to drunks , and for the public that step out of line the police need to control them , telling them to do as they are told . The trouble is , it is not easy to turn this switch off when you arrive back at the office , or even when you arrive home .
The police lock up those criminals overnight , and are rewarded for their success , the more people that do not do as they are told , the more arrests they make , and as a consequence the more the officers appear to be doing a good job .
Continuing to exercise control in this way over a period of time in law enforcement affects the mind-set , something appears to happen that makes the officers want to control more and more , and trust less and less . The lessening of trust is essential safety mechanism for police in order to remain both successful and safe on the streets . This then becomes a bit of a paradox , as Dr Stephen Covey mentions in his book about the 7 habits of effective leaders ; there are many things outside of your control or influence , and this includes certain groups of people , such as your boss , captain , chief , or family members , who are not bound to follow your orders . In effect , there is only one thing that you can fully control , and that is yourself .
Chief Williams explains this in terms of trying to control three dogs on three leads . It ’ s almost an impossible task to do this smoothly , if one dog is say a Rottweiler , one a Labrador and one a small Jack Russell , for example . They often walk at different speeds , and pull in opposite directions . As I am sure those that have tried to walk three dogs will appreciate , one can even prove to be an immovable object . Chief Williams describes these three dogs as ‘ The Street ’ ( where ‘ control ’ is exercised often without too much problem , but where the officer has recourse to legal backing ); ‘ The Department ’ is dog No . 2 where control can be exercised over those subordinates but not peers nor superiors ; and the third dog is the family , your spouse , and kids . These are the 3 dogs you try to walk every day . Think about it for a moment - do you try to exercise ‘ control ’ at home too , without success , or which results in frustration all around … perhaps even treating your spouse and kids like criminals , exercising a growing desire to control and a lessening wish to trust them ? Honestly ? Good for you if you don ’ t try to control your family .
However , it is hardly surprising when we look at what misdemeanours officers are routinely exposed to in the workplace , it can be difficult at times differentiating our attitude towards the 3 dogs , often treating family like criminals in pursuit of this control , rather than treating them like the loving family and friends they are .
Chief Williams observes that this need to control more and trust less can take place over a period as short as four years in the department , from date of joining .
Officers routinely turn towards pessimism , ( because the world is not as rosy as we thought it was when we signed up for the job ); as a consequence we soon trust less , have a desire to control more and , despite constantly complaining and being pessimistic that the job is ‘ broken ’ ( I ’ m being polite at this point ), law enforcement officers with over 4 years ’ service are reluctant to change , in fact go as far as to say they hate change , and they are quick to attribute blame to everyone else .
A little self-reflection may be required at this point : is it me Chief Williams is talking about ? Is it you ? He calls these the 5 strings that control the law enforcement professional like puppets on a string . The 5 strings are 1 ) pessimism , 2 ) a desire to control more , 3 ) trusting less and less , 4 ) resisting change and 5 ) quickly assessing blame .
But you know what ? It is police culture that causes this ( here we go again blaming something else ). The reason I say this is because successful cops are those that control the streets , the criminals , and by trusting less they remain safe ( a key objective for every US law enforcement officer ); performance is therefore assessed as good , ( criminals locked up , safer streets , happy Chief ) and colleagues respect them for this . In fact , senior officers may recognise this “ success in control ” by rewarding the officer with specialist skills , or promotion . Officers are rewarded for high control , and low trust , and success is measured in such terms , and everyone is happy ….. aren ’ t they ? Well , not really . This is a vicious cycle , a caustic risk of performing well in law enforcement , which causes officers to want to control more and this becomes second nature , taking it back to the department and taking it home . In cases where officers are unable to control their bosses or family , this leads to frustration and work /
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