Jan. 27, 2023 Just what can a mentor program net a police department and other law enforcement agencies? Mentorships can become a great tool for officer promotion and retention.
By William L. Harvey Source officer.com News
Promotions traditionally arise from three divisions within a department. These being investigations, internal affairs, and training. Many ask why is this? Let’s look at this from a chiefs’ viewpoint. If there is a major crime grabbing the headlines and creating political pressure on the chief, that astute young detective can make the department (and chief) look good. For their diligent investigative work, they will be rewarded in the future. This is prevalent in small and medium sized departments. For the chief will interact with the detectives nearly daily. But does a good or lucky detective make a great sergeant? Just because they are getting daily interaction with the chief and they are on a lucky string in pulling the chief out of the fire, may not make them a commander.
Another pathway is that of internal affairs or professional standards, you might add accreditation in for good measure. These officers will also gain nearly daily interactions with the chief due to handling of administrative investigations. Granted, some may be very sticky investigations and require a lot of finesse. These investigations can get or keep the department out of trouble.
The third and final is the training unit, (yes this is where I was promoted to sergeant). The training unit staff are those who present the chief’s marching orders to the new officers. They are also the ones during in-service training that put “the company spin” on new procedures and related polices. These new de nova programs destined to improve ‘police work’ are hinged to success as to how they are delivered from the instructor’s podium. As unpalatable as they may be, the trainers are the ones that champion it to line officers. They know if they want to get promoted – never practice “muddy water management”. In other words, you stand there and say this is what the chief and administration wants and will be our new way of doing business. How you present the idea will couple it to success. But if you muck up the water through your delivery the officers will sense this. If the chief discovers you muddied the waters, you are doomed. The officers need embrace why we are doing this with a crystal-clear view. The trainers are acting in a supportive roll to help officers perform their job. When you transmit this new message correctly and with zeal, there will be a favorable view upon you.
Another method of promotions that I have seen is a promotional checklist. There was one department I was very familiar with and a chief there had a checklist of things to do to get promoted. Once you were in promotable status (passed the civil service test) one had to complete a list of objectives. One was becoming or being an academy instructor. Why was this flawed? One getting into instructor school was hard and passing it even harder. If the academy has a full cadre, it was a stopping point.
Another was to become a Field Training Officer (FTO). Same problem as above. If the department has enough FTO’s, no school slots. If you are not in a patrol setting which deals with new recruits, dead end here. Granted, being able to become an instructor and/or a FTO is a proving ground. The ability to manage a class of 25-30 is a skill. The one-on-one training of a recruit is demanding. However, I have known some of the finest police officers and they did not like public speaking, nor wanted to explain everything to a newbie. So, this excludes several due to administrative needs or assignments.
There was always perform a community-oriented policing or service project back then. Now of days, it would be taking on a collateral duty with public interaction. Here was to test if you were able to go further than the normal job description. Again, some of these projects may not be a good predicator of how you can handle the rigors of police supervision for these are often a solo performance.
Granted, all the above three avenues are not a full measure of your abilities into the realm of management. This is tough ground and not built for the faint-of-heart. The problem was for many to seek an assignment (detective or internal affairs) or if in another assignment (Forensics or Traffic) you had to leave your area of expertise to go to patrol to become a FTO. To me, some of the service projects or community policing projects reminded me of the kids in elementary school at the science fair, finding an alternative way to shine in one area. The collateral duty job to me can be favorable for it allows someone to make a difference and go that extra mile in an area where they have credibility. But, if any agency is going to require everybody to chase a checklist, you will dilute the purposes of the tasks required.
I have a suggestion that I believe we should strongly consider. It is start a mentoring program. When a raw recruit arrives at the academy, they are assigned to a mentor—not an FTO nor instructor. A mentor is someone to help them over the bumps of transitioning from civilian to cop. If you are hiring from out of your city and/or state, someone to assist with their relocation and integration in that area. When you are “raising” police recruits there is more to this than feeding and watering them. They need someone to help them grasp the need to knows, the ends and outs of the city and job. Those places to go and not to go. You know there are some bars and some areas of town they will go on calls for service but need not to be there recreationally. You know those places, nothing good is going to occur there. They don’t need to be there off-duty. In other words, preventing them from going feral.
Help new officers make positive decisions and guide them in their careers. Give them direction in their post-academy training, suggest ideas of courses they may need to take. You move them around and introduce them to people they need to know within and external of the department. Help them become successful and grounded. For me the biggest thing is about mentor is the 8 x 24 theory. This theory I have long possessed is that anybody can be a cop for 8 hours a day. You have supervisors and peers to help you can keep your nose clean that long. But the other 16 hours of this 24-hour day, that’s another story. As a sage sergeant told me one day—“nothing good happens out there after midnight”. These hours can become problematic to bored, younger officers. I have seen that when I was an NCO in the Army, young privates ruined their careers before they got started.
Younger officers can make poor decisions and sometimes they need that cool guiding hand to get them over life’s little bumps. I am not asking for a mentor to become the morality police nor a grumpy old, no fun uncle. They should know what to say and when to say it.
So just what does a mentor program net a department? It should give a department a methodology to ground their incoming wave of young officers. This will prepare them more than the FTO program. If you help them if they become disillusioned, you might retain them. If you keep them out of trouble from chasing creatures of the night, you might keep them on the job. This is all about retention and preventing turnovers, both of which are budget savers. Rather than to quit and walk off the job within the first two years, a mentor just may salvage that recruit.
Will one recruit make you a sergeant—no. I think if you have mentored a couple or more, then yes this is a qualifier. If you can make that difference and show that you have the leadership abilities, you could be worthy. Now, granted, there should the usual entry requirements of years-in-service and time-in-grade—then maybe yes. This would be with the standard promotional test depending on what HR throws at you. But remember, one test does not make a sergeant. I think the investment of the department and its future makes it good sense to consider a mentoring program, this would enhance the department’s future.