Discuss actual or anticipated planning of your own deployment gear.
Chapter Nine: Developmental Policing
It is dangerous to theorize in advance of the facts. ―Sherlock Holmes
Vignette: Joyce
Joyce, a new deputy, has always wanted to help others and give back to her community. Now that she’s actually on the job, she often finds it hard to strike the right balance between following the letter of the law and doing what she thinks is right. She also worries that some of her fellow officers see things very differently than she does. She feels a lot of pressure to “go along to get along.”
Introduction to the Chapter
In so many ways, police officers are no different from any other persons. Their choice to become a police officer can be an economic choice and or a choice made from a motivation to help others. The motivation, whatever it may be, is often influenced by their environment beginning with childhood and the influences, both good and bad, that shaped them into the person who decided to serve the public, for whatever reason.
Many people in other occupations devote their lives to helping others. But this unique creature we call
a police officer is a combination of imperfection and sainthood that strives to do the right thing. “What is the right thing to do?” is an age-old question and depends on a person’s background. Maybe it could be said, “The right thing according to whom?” Or “According to what values”?
A police officer can be locked in a constant struggle between their own moral values and that which
society dictates. Often the beliefs of the police officer with regard to enforcing the law can be more lenient toward the public than department policy demands. A constant struggle exists within some officers as to what they believe is “the right thing” versus “what the law states.” This constant conflict is probably normal and good. This conflict keeps the officer thinking and making decisions based on their experience. Perhaps we would not want a police officer who follows the letter of the law and enforces it without reservation or consideration of each individual and their situation. The key to finding a good candidate is to find someone who is fair in their decision-making process, a person who makes a decision based upon sound information and fairness but not solely basing their actions upon a criminal statue or departmental regulations. In other words, a police officer should be allowed to be human and not a mindless robot that enforces the law without conscience.
In order to find the perfect candidate, a department should consider all the factors that have influenced the candidate’s life. The Background Investigation
The background investigation is probably the most important device a department can use to ensure they have the best candidate possible. The quality of the background investigation as a whole depends on the skill of the background investigator, the resources devoted, and the willingness to choose the best candidate for the job rather than trying to meet a quota designed to fit a diversity equation. The job of policing is a deadly serious job where decisions are made that can have a profound impact on the lives of average citizens and the family of the officer. Departments should strive to find extra ordinary people who are not only
willing to do the job but are willing to accept the responsibility that comes with the job. Police departments often do not explain this awesome responsibility they are asking a candidate to undertake. The average police officer does not have a good handle on their job until they are several years into their career.
Prior to the potential candidate submitting an application, the responsibilities and duties of a police
officer should be explained carefully. This might be done through a series of informational sessions that allow the potential candidate to understand the commitment for which they are about to apply.
It is interesting that before a driver in the state of Texas, for example, can take a driving test, that
potential driver must watch a two-hour video on driver safety and the responsibilities associated with driving. A police officer not only has the responsibility involved with driving. They also have the awesome responsibility of protecting lives and property. At the very least it would be good for police departments to require potential police candidates to attend these informational seminars. Providing truthful, complete information and communicating the positive and negative aspects of the job is only fair. It is necessary to help a potential candidate make a decision based on facts rather than police recruiting propaganda.
Many factors influence a person from the time they are born until the end of their life. Childhood
experiences play a huge role in whether a person will make a good public servant. Those experiences are so important that it is imperative that a background investigator delve into the minutiae of a candidate’s life, from childhood up to the time of application. Not every aspect of a person’s life can be scrutinized. But it is important to make a determination about how that person was shaped by certain influences that are common to every person.
Parental Influence
The parents of the child have a great influence on the development of a child’s personality and their beliefs. The experiences in the parents’ backgrounds that influenced them can have an indirect influence on their children. The political affiliation of the parents may have some influence on how the children are treated and how their children treat others. For example, some parents with a more liberal political affiliation may not want to vaccinate their children. The child may interpret this action as an acceptable rebellion against government regulation.
Another important factor to consider is the bond between the parents. To what extent and in what manner
did the relationship between the parents influence the child? A child who lives in a home where constant turmoil, and physical, mental, and verbal abuse exists as a form of communication between parents will be shaped in a way that influences how that child views the world. As an example, if a father abuses the child’s mother in any manner, the child may believe that women are inferior, or the child may defend the mother depending on the child’s relationship with her. There is no way to really know the answer to this question or any others unless a thorough inquiry is made into the candidate’s background.
Familial Substance Use
Many times, alcohol and drug use in the home includes relatives and visitors. Often alcohol and drug use inquiries are limited to the members of the household and may not be explored further. The homes of friends, neighbors, and relatives and schools are potential places where those activities occurred. Children observing addictive habits, such as drug and alcohol use, can at the very least find those activities acceptable, which may lead to the use of drugs and alcohol. One common factor that seems to emerge in incidents of police misconduct is alcohol or drug abuse. Whether it is drunk driving, prescription drug abuse, or family violence, alcohol and drugs are often a contributing factor. These are closely associated with police culture. Drug abuse may be less a factor, but alcohol abuse is not. Alcohol has been a staple in the police culture, and the only way to remove the abuse of this substance from the culture is to hire individuals who have less potential to be pressured into alcohol use Experiencing Discipline
When speaking of discipline, there are at least two types. The first is discipline as a form of corrective action. The second is the type of discipline needed to complete a job or a task. All too often parents move directly to discipline rather than attempting to use training as the preceding step in their communication with a child. Police departments for the most part have training as a step preceding discipline in the continuum of corrective action. If a child’s parents used this type of continuum in their rearing of the child, when that child becomes an adult, they may be more accepting of the manner in which police departments take corrective actions with officers.
Some parents do not discipline their children and it would be prudent for the background investigator
to make inquiries in this area of the candidate’s upbringing. In other cases, some parents may over discipline their child for any minor infraction or for behavior the child had no idea was an infraction. When this happens, the lines between right or wrong may become blurred.
The second type of discipline is the type needed when completing a job or a task. This type of discipline,
also known as self-discipline, is of absolute necessity in a police officer. A candidate with a proven history of self-discipline is a candidate who will most likely be an excellent police officer. Evidence of this can be found during the investigation of the candidate’s childhood by asking questions designed to reveal acts of self-discipline, such as making their bed every morning or how well their room was kept. Study habits and willingness to learn as a child can also shed light on the child’s degree of self-discipline.
Socioeconomic Status
The family economic status could have a great deal to do with the make-up of a candidate. A candidate who grew up in a family that struggled financially is of special interest. A child who grew up in this environment may be quite different from one where that type of stress did not exist. That setting may have had a profound positive or negative impact. In instances where the family struggled financially but all family members pulled together to make it through a crisis is a positive experience that could help build character.
If the family was in chaos and fell further behind, this experience may be a negative one. Lack of money
in a household can lead to verbal and physical abuse between parents and can often carry over to the children. Constant arguing between parents provides stress that is counterproductive to the well-being of the child.
The economic status of a family reaches beyond the walls of the household. For example, a child
growing up in a poor family may not have new clothing or other essentials that the average child has. This may make the child a target for bullying or being deemed an outcast in the school setting. A situation where the child who has no friends or their only friends are other outcasts can create a negative view of the world.
Relationships with Peers
The number of and quality of friends a child has can make a difference. Children who have little contact with other children do not develop the social skills needed to communicate in a meaningful way. This can hinder a person’s communication skills later in life. Some adults who have experienced this type of childhood will learn through previous experiences such as job interviews and other necessary communications about how to communicate effectively for a specific situation. In other words, they are playing a role in order to achieve a goal but they are not good at communicating in situations where they do not know what to expect. Police officers must be good communicators because each situation they encounter during their shift is different and most of the time improvisation is necessary. This is why it is important to delve deeply into the candidate’s life as a child to find out their true status as a communicator.
Social activity as a child is extremely important. Several things need to be considered when investigating the candidate’s social activity as a child. Sometimes the geographic location where the child lived did not give them the opportunity to interact with other children. In other situations, the parents may have been protective of their children from harmful elements due to the neighborhood. The parents may have been overprotective and blocked access to other children. On the other end of the spectrum the parents may not have cared who they socialized with. One other scenario that may be relevant is where the parents used the television as the child’s social companion. This situation sometimes happens with single parents and parents who work shift work and are not able to spend time with their child.
Relationship with Physical Environments The physical surroundings where the candidate grew up as a child should be explored. A child who grew
up in an environment where the home was not clean and orderly or was cold in the winter and hot in the summer can have a profound effect on that person. In some cases, the candidate may have grown up to appreciate good living conditions and can empathize with others who are experiencing the same things that they experienced as a child. Persons who grew up in great living conditions may have an extreme reaction when dealing with persons living in less than adequate conditions. This will all depend on the life experience of the person and how many negative experiences they had during their life and whether they understood how those experiences came to be.
Abusive Households
There are many forms of abuse and some are more subtle than others. Childhood medical records or child protective services reports may serve to uncover the obvious abuses of a child, but there are times when physical and mental abuse happens indirectly. Parents who scream at each other or have a temper control problem can adversely affect a child. Sometimes the child learns those methods and adopts them as their primary form of communication. As they grow older, they learn to hide their temper in public but use this as their primary form of communication behind closed doors. Too often, officers who appeared mild mannered in roll call had a completely different personality when dealing with the public or with their family. It should be a priority to determine the extent of abuse, if any, a candidate experienced as a child. Being abused as a child does not automatically mean that the candidate will not be a good officer. It can, however, give the investigator basic knowledge needed to look for other signs that may be of concern.
Sibling Relationships
The manner in which the child bonded with their siblings may be of importance. A lot depends on the difference in age and actual interests. Some children do not get along with their brothers or sisters. If this is the case, then that needs to be explored. The siblings of a candidate may be able to answer questions that the candidate’s parents may not be able to answer. Some children act one way around their parents and a different way around their siblings. The brother or sister of a candidate may have information about them that no one else knows.
Relationships with Animals
One huge area of a child’s life that is often overlooked is their interactions with pets. Nearly every child has some type of pet during their childhood. Some children are not allowed to have pets. If a child was not allowed to have a pet, the reason for not having a pet should be explored. More than likely there may be some economic reason or just a preference by the parents; nonetheless the reason should be determined.
In cases where children were allowed to have pets, this area should be explored extensively. The
number, types, and fate of those pets should be discovered. The manner in which a pet was treated is of primary concern. A candidate who has a history of abusing pets as a child should be scrutinized closely. Very few if any inquiries are made into this area when a person applies to a police department. This may be discovered arbitrarily during an interview, but rarely is it discovered with direct inquiry.
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