Transforming the culture of a law enforcement agency requires a commitment to transparency, strong leadership, and community engagement, along with a focus on core values and continuous improvement.
Culture in an agency is defined as a complex set of values, norms, and practices that shape the behavior and attitudes of police officers and its agency. Sometimes an agency needs a culture change when the morale is low, it’s hard to retain good employees, and the public doesn’t trust you. I work at a Sheriff’s Office in Texas, so every four years there is a potential in getting a new Sheriff. Typically, a new Sheriff brings in a new command staff with him. The change of management is a way to change culture.
I also am a firm believer in promoting from within the agency. I have seen time and time again agencies that bring in employees from outside the agency to fill command spots inside the agency. This is a morale killer for deputies who put their blood sweat and tears into an agency. Promoting from within the agency shows that you care about your employees and that you are investing in your employees. I believe that this will make your employees more loyal and work harder to get promotions.
Agencies need to promote transparency. Leaders should model the values they wish to instill within the agency. The agency should be open about the challenges and the decisions they make. Being transparent will help build trust among the officers and the community. Agency leaders also need to have an open dialogue with their employees. Ask your officers what changes can be made and how the culture can be fixed.
The leaders of the agency need to define and reinforce core values. Leaders need to make sure that all the members understand and commit to those values. They must also align rewards and punishment with the established core values.
Earlier, I spoke about promoting from within. Another tactic agencies can use to change culture is to focus on leadership development. You want leaders who represent the agency well and can instill their values and the agency values onto their troops. Leaders must make a commitment to the cultural change. Ongoing education and training for leaders and their officers is paramount to changing the culture. Sending your officers to training will increase morale. Leaders also need to allow their officers to be creative and engage with the community. This can create a stronger connection with the public.
Not only should officers engage with the public, but the agency as a whole should encourage engagement with the public. The agency should have honest communication during critical incidents. They should also encourage community-based policing that goes beyond just PR events. This is why it is very important for agencies to have a great public information officer.
Lastly, Agencies and their leaders need to be patient and consistent when trying to change culture. Culture change can take 5-10 years in some cases. You will get resistance from officers, have pushbacks, and will have slow progress at first. This is where you need to stay consistent and stick to your core values. Culture change is a good thing and should happen on a cycle. There are always new ideas and tactics out there and agencies need to be committed to regularly looking at their culture and what they can do to increase the morale and morals of the agency.
