Change police culture?

A recent article on CBC.ca discusses a preliminary report on the RCMP’s mis-management of the service pension. The investigator claims changes are needed in the police culture, particularly on how senior officers respond to internal problems within the organization. Of course, this is easier said than done. As academic research has shown, changing the actual culture of police is a difficult task (see Chan, 1997). Unfortunately, cultural change is only the first step, whereas dramatic organizational change may also be necessary. How? Police departments are perceived as businesses with mission statements, values, business plans & outlooks, corporate reports, stakeholders and other business strategies. However, police departments continue to be operated without the adequate business leadership as such is found in a civilian company. This suggestion arises from a simple question: Are sworn police officers, risen from the ranks of patrol constables and investigators, the proper choice for business and organizational management? I would say, no.

To combat these organizational business management problems, an alternative should be to revamp the organizational structure inherent in police departments: specifically, remove the onus on sworn police officers to fulfill roles not within their expertise, namely, corporate management. Police officers are trained investigators, mediators, law enforcers and problem solvers in the field of policing. Police officers generally are not recruited and wrought from the business management field, such as CEOs with experience managing large organizations and people. Thus, business and corporate aspects of a police organization should not be left to individuals not originally meant for that role. People can learn, but in this instance, it is better to rely on training and time-tested experience from the business world.

How would this re-organization of police administration and management manifest itself? Business tasks and roles should be assigned to civilian managers with the appropriate education, training and experience. Police departments could deploy a dual management structure, with a sworn senior police officer as a figurehead or chief and as such, a spokesperson on policing and enforcement. A civilian chief executive officer would then manage the ‘business’ aspects of policing. In addition, this management reorganization could be extended to take over ground level police management positions. Most police patrol administrative positions can be filled by civilians with adequate knowledge of policing, rather than requiring sworn officers to complete scheduling, equipment requisition, even report and document approval. Sworn members would are made available for more police-specific tasks, of which they are trained and experienced in doing.

Changing police culture to accept civilian ‘outsiders’ is a monumental task, especially when civilians are included into the ‘command’ structure of a paramilitary organization. However, management reorganization is necessary to not only maintain the confidence of the public of which the department serves, but to also ensure that essential public body organizations are conducted in an efficient and professional manner as we would expect from any government service.