Misconduct and the Police Administration in Organization - Case Study Example

? CASE STUDY ON INTRUDING IMA AND FALSIFIED REPORT Introduction Police officers are more often than not judgedby their conduct in public as they carry out their duties. Since most of the officers are alone when in service, they have a tendency of doing things their own way putting the integrity of the whole police force in question. In most cases, the behavior of such errant officer is blamed on the top officers for failing to correctly manage their juniors. This blame is to some extend justifiable since some administration officers have registered reluctance in dealing with insubordination and stubborn workers. Police force is very crucial in any democratic system for maintaining law and order. As such they should have high ethical standards. Police officers are charged with the responsibility of promoting the rights of citizens but at the same time restricting the right of people who are a threat to the general good of the society. In their routine, they are sometimes compelled to appeal to force when a situation calls for it. Deliberate brutal treatment of offenders on the part of the officers is however a crime. To keep the trust of the public, misconducts on the parts of police should be dealt with in an acceptable way. Any officer given the duty to serve the public should take an oath of office and adhere to the set a code of ethics. Most people understand the importance of the police force in law enforcement and their role in maintaining order. As such they are very willing to cooperate with the police in order to live in a safe environment (Peak, 2001). Misconducts from police officers weaken the relationship between the police and the people making them loose trust on the force. In this paper, the case study of Intruding Ima and falsified report and how such cases of misconduct and insubordination can be treated by the police administration and a justification of the method used is brought to the fore. Summary of the case study The case study given in this book is about Officer Ima Goodenough who has been an employee in the force for eight years. She is an officer in charge of patron and at times serves as field training officer. She has demonstrated great capability and is experienced in detective division and patrol. She labels herself as being an “old school” and only associated with colleagues who share her sentiments while turning away from other officers with contrasting views. When called for service, she takes them singlehandedly without asking for back up or cover units. She has shown consistent rough treatment in her contact the public with about six cases of brutality complaint launched against her within the last three years. According to her, people who ask for backup are “wimps”. Recently, she was engaged in two-high speed pursuit when her car was seriously smashed when she tried to go after the suspects off the road. She only reports to her supervisor about major cases. New supervisors have reported having major problem with her as she shows no respect for their authority. According to her, the administration is just there to mess up people. Being her shift commander I am fed up with her unchanging negative attitude and dissatisfactory performance and I am considering taking disciplinary moves. I have been made to understand that she is very tough making some of her current and past and current supervisors dread her. She has shown cases of intrusion and giving falsified reports on several occasions. In one instance, when she was on patrol, she is reported to have responded to a shooting call outside her jurisdiction. She radios her supervisor that she was assisting and intrudes into a home where different officers and paramedics already had the situation under control. She tampers with evidence by holding a revolver that she finds lying on the floor. When asked to write about a report about the incidence, she leaves out the part where she interferes with the evidence. Her file shows that her performance for the last eight years have been standard either average or above average. There are no records of her getting any suspensions or any other form of punishment for her defiant deeds. Much as her supervisors have voiced their dissatisfaction about Ima’s action, they never put it in writing (Peak, 2001). Is Ima Good enough a problem employee or is this a problem situation? The case of Ima Good enough is an illustration of problem situation because the previous supervisor failed to put Ima behavior in writing. She may have an attitude which strains the relationship between her and her superiors but they should have tactics to know how to deal with such cases. This is because people will always have diverse view, opinions and attitudes. A person in authority should be able to know how to deal with individuals catering for the diversity in personal differences. The officer should be made to understand that there are well laid guidelines that they should follow. It should also be made clear to them the consequences of failure of adherence. In the case of Ima Good enough, she had shown several cases of insubordination which had gone unpunished. The reluctance of the administration to take action against her had made her continue with her behavior as until it reached the obnoxious level. This is therefore an illustration of a situation problem where the top police officer has shown a failure in dealing with insubordination and misconduct. Such a situation is affects the overall performance of the force as illustrated in case Ima. This is because, officers who have no respect for the authority and make their own rules to follow will end up failing to fulfill the force objectives and mission. Such employees decide when and how they will work slowing down the general production. The fact that the insubordination by Ima Good enough passes without any disciplinary measures meted will affect the behavior of other officers (Great Britain 2006). This makes them feel that they can get away with cases of indiscipline which makes managing such a crowd very difficult. The best way to deal with such a situation is by reacting immediately. Behavior of such people like ima may put the organization in legal problems. For instance, in the case where she tampered with evidence from a crime scene out of her jurisdiction, the force could be sued for that. Problem employee could also become a safety hazard to himself or others since they do things their way and their negligence. Ima almost lost her life and, got her car seriously damaged since she failed to call for back up as required. Legal issues that may be involved The legal issues that may be involved include the officer being charged in a court of law for contaminating a crime scene and tampering evidence from a crime scene. This is scene when Ima holds a revolver in a crime scene outside her jurisdiction. She could also be arraigned in court for writing a falsified formal document (Peak, 2001). When she was asked to write about her involvement in the homicide crime scene she did not indicate her touching of the evidence. When asked about, she denied picking or touching anything. Remedial or disciplinary action that should be taken Dealing with insubordinate staff can be a great deal of pain if handled wrongly. Such person’s causes delay in the process of production or even of offering services. As such they bring great losses instead of profits to any organization be it a public service provider or a private one. They also impact a demoralizing effect on other employees causing increase in worker dissatisfaction. If not dealt immediately, Insubordination and other forms of misconduct can become a pattern at the workplace affecting performance to worrying levels. In order to bring this problem to an end and set an example for those officers who would think of attempting insubordination, I would to start with revise the available policies and procedures dealing with insubordination and other misconducts. These rules should be precise and clearly articulated in a handbook or a news bulletin issued to all officers. The handbook should have information about each case of possible misconduct and the discipline measure against it. A further step on having an open forum discussing any controversial issues should Insubordinate employees are a pain to deal with. Not only do they cause production delays, they also affect the morale of their co-workers and the employer. Insubordination must be handled immediately; otherwise, it might become a pattern in the workplace, gravely affecting company performance also be created so as to clarify them (Great Britain 2006). Then I would issue a reprimand letter specifically to that officer and any other officer alleged for the same crime. I would put this officer under paid administrative for misconduct and insubordination as she awaits outcome from an internal affairs investigation. This will be based on violation of procedure by abandoning her area of jurisdiction and intrusion of a crime scene out of her jurisdiction. After I have obtained conclusive information from the investigation and finding her guilty, I would put her on suspension of a period of six months from work with no pay if her behavior would not have changed during the investigation period. In case there are cases arising from the mistakes she engaged in, I would leave her to go through them alone in court without protection from the force. Justification of the method In the case of Ima, there are adequate evidences for carrying out disciplinary action against her. To start with, she has engaged in situations which are out of her jurisdiction. This is a direct violation of authority given to her by the state. Secondly, she has been involved in brutal treatment of common citizens and even her fellow workers violating the human rights. By putting the offender under investigation, they are likely to change. The act of putting down rules will itself go a long way in solving the problem. This is because most employees are not familiar with issues relating to the environment outside their working place. They thus have troubles to relating to such issues. A one to one talk with the employee which lacks the element of confrontation and is not accusatory can be used to help to understand what the employee in question is going through outside work. If that happens to be the case, then the employer will turn around and show desirable behavior. If this fails, the senior officer can start on a termination process. In case of Ima, it would be unfair to fire her based on a single case of insubordination since the previous supervisors had not put down any record of insubordination or misconduct. As such, I would be required to have regular meeting with that officer to formulate goals and solve issues on an ongoing process(Peak, 2001). Conclusion Insubordination can be defined as an employee willing defiance of a superior’s order. Rude language can also be taken to be part of it. It is a major occurrence in major organization despite policies of management having been put in place. It still remains a major obstacle for people in authority since there is a large percentage of people who see no need for authority. A single occurrence of misconduct or insubordination can be dealt with by taking mild measures since it has minimal effects on the organization. However, when faced with reoccurrences of inappropriate behavior, people in managerial position are obliged to come up with formal discipline programs(Great Britain 2006). Such behaviors are intolerable and it is surprising that many organizations would rather live with it than make any correction behavior than make efforts to correct it. It is common place for people to get managerial position since they show superior expertise in their area of specialization or because they have good leadership skills e.g. the capability to promote efficient team work. Rarely do they get promotion for improving performance trough being good disciplinarians. The tendency of the management to ignore inapt behavior since they are afraid some blood developing between the management and the errant employees is very common. For any person taking a leadership role, they must be willing to take up the role of being supervisors as it is part of the package. This explains why a number of people turn down promotional opportunities. This applies to business as well as to any organization such as the police force. It is therefore important to deal with cases of indiscipline immediately they arise to avoid detrimental effects that they may come with. References Peak, K. J. (2001). Justice administration: Police, courts, and corrections management. Upper Great Britain. (2006). Armed Forces Act 2006: Chapter 52. London: Stationery Office. Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Read More