Officer Joe: Non-Compliant Employee - Essay Example

Running Head: Officer Joe Officer Joe: Non-Compliant Employee YOUR Officer Joe: Non-Compliant Employee The purpose of this paper is to analyze the facts related to employee behavior in a police department and provide a solution to the case of Officer Joe. As set forth in the facts, Officer Joe has reported to work with the distinct odor of alcohol on his breath, has demonstrated on-the-job misconduct by being rebellious toward departmental regulations, appears for duty with a disheveled appearance, is generally rude and disrespectful towards other employees, but is the top performer in the department. From the position of a manager of a criminal justice agency, this issue needs to be addressed, a constructive solution found, and help provided to the officer. There is little doubt that “management of the police department and its leadership is a demanding, complex, and challenging task,” but that task is “largely possible through good management…” (Eisenberg 21). Managing this officer is not an easy task, as his negative attributes and their impact on the department must be weighed against his performance. Accordingly, we should examine the set of behaviors, assess the impact to the department and the public, balance the consequences of the officer’s negative behavior with his superior performance, and determine a way to help this officer. Officer Joe is, as any other police officer, under a lot of stress. The stress of police work is well known, and its effects on the individual can cause the officer to resort to various coping mechanisms. One of the more unhealthy ways of coping with stress on the job is alcohol abuse. In fact, Officer Joe is presenting classic signs of alcohol abuse. Disregard for authority, carelessness in personal appearance, as well as impatience and irritability are three indicators of alcohol abuse (Moriarty & Field 155). Officer Joe’s behavior indicates his condition is worsening, as this is presumptively the first time he has shown up for duty with alcohol on his breath. Immediate management intervention is required in this situation, to protect the public, the department, and Officer Joe himself. As there has been no indication of drinking while on the job, the officer is likely engaging in this self-destructive behavior in private. Some might content that the private behavior of a police officer is not an issue to management unless it affects job performance. In Officer Joe’s case, his performance has been very good. However, the private life of a police officer is something that can and should be considered by management. “The special role that the police play in the community creates a unique sensitivity to public criticism and imposes a higher standard on police officers. It is difficult to separate an officers private life from his or her responsibility to serve as a role model…” (Coulson 59). The logical solution to Officer Joe’s behavior is two-fold; short-term discipline and long-term assistance with life issues and positive coping strategies for stress. Reporting for duty with alcohol on his breath is unacceptable. If allowed to continue unchecked, the danger to both himself and others would increase until ultimately, there would be serious problems. The liability exposure for the department is huge, including a very negative public perception of their police force, Officer Joe’s impaired judgment on duty, and the likelihood of a future serious incident where harm would occur to lives and property. Accordingly, Officer Joe should be sent home immediately and, pursuant to any departmental policies, placed on administrative or unpaid leave for a specific period of time (three days to two weeks is common). This action would send the message to Officer Joe and the rest of the duty personnel that this behavior will not be tolerated. Even though his on-the-job performance is excellent, that does not mitigate the seriousness of this offense. Creating a special set of rules—or circumventing department policy—simply because he is good at what he does would set a horrible example for the rest of the department. Police departments have their own subculture, and the fact that this transgression was overlooked would be known within 24 hours—and officer morale would suffer the first time the rules were strictly applied to another officer. Lax enforcement of policy is a serious mistake for any manager to make. As for the long-term solution, the department should already have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and, if it does not, one should be immediately created. Police officers are a special and dedicated group of people who put their lives on the line every time they go on duty. This dedication should be acknowledged and their value should be appreciated; if they abuse alcohol as a way of coping with stress, they should not be simply terminated. It is a well-known fact that police officers have a higher incidence of alcoholism, divorce, and even suicide as a result of pressures on the job. Rather than discard Officer Joe, the department should help him. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is the fact that police officers are some of the most important assets to the community. Under a strict business analysis, these employees are worth saving if at all possible. Police departments spend significant amounts of money to train, develop, and deploy their forces; if Officer Joe has problems in his personal life, it makes economic sense for the department to offer him assistance in resolving his issues rather than discarding a good person. If Officer Joe’s problems can be resolved, the: …losses to the organization and the individual are minimized. The organization, which may suffer because of decreased productivity through use of sick leave and increased health-care costs, reduces its concerns about the loss of investment in human resources through employee discipline and termination. The employee who may have experienced considerable distress get relief from the problem and returns to former levels of functioning. (Kurke and Scrivner 153) An effective EAP, when used in conjunction with stated department expectations for its employees, provides a sound and objective basis for recruiting and management of police officers. The psychological testing associated with an EAP is extremely helpful to managers in departments. In the case of Officer Joe, referral to the EAP should result in the resolution of his problems and provide him with proven coping techniques to handle the stresses of the job. Rather than lose a good officer, or risk department morale problems through selective enforcement of departmental policy, the EAP offers a better opportunity to identify and solve Officer Joe’s problems, and give him good life skills that will dramatically lessen the chances of a reoccurrence of this problem. In conclusion, it is obvious that Officer Joe is a good policeman. It is also obvious that he has some serious problems and lacks the personal tools to address them in a healthy way. Through a proportional disciplinary response to the specific incident of coming to work with alcohol on his breath and the use of an effective EAP, this officer can be rehabilitated, equipped with stress management processes, and returned to the street with confidence that he will be a better officer as a result of the support he has received. References Anthony Moriarty, and Mark W. Field, Proactive Intervention: A New Approach to Police EAP Programs, Public Personnel Management 19.2 (1990). Martin I. Kurke, and Ellen M. Scrivner, eds., Police Psychology into the 21st Century (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995) Robert Coulson, Police under Pressure: Resolving Disputes (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993). Tom Eisenberg, Successful Police Chief Mentoring: Implications from the Subculture, Public Management (Dec. 2005). Read More