One of the things that keep police chiefs up at night is the
fear that their officers may become injured or worst, killed in the line of
duty. When an officer goes down, it is not only a blow to the police
department, but also a blow to the public at large. During these dark hours, police chiefs can
become saviors to their departments. The ability for a chief to not only
express the outrage of the tragedy, but to decrease the pain of loss to
survivors is an indispensable skill set.
Police chiefs are like any other CEO of a company. They are rarely seen
and most of the challenges they face are unknown to employees. Nevertheless,
imagine the impact a chief can make on a police department, when he or she has
the correct words at the darkest hour.
When giving a press conference, speech, or eulogy, when an
officer has been injured or killed, there are a few tips police chiefs may use
for crisis management during these times.
A chief can:
1. Research the personal characteristics of the
injured or killed officer. All too often, chiefs do not personally know the
officers that are injured or killed. It is expected that chiefs will say the
perfunctory, “nice” things about the officer. However, what would be the impact
if the chief told a story about the officer that close friends shared with the
chief? Would it add humor to a painful
experience? Would it humanize the officer, as well as, the chief? Would it create
a sense of calm and peace as police personnel reflect on the tragedy in the
future? An officer’s injury or death is
the biggest stage a police chief will ever occupy. By exercising effective leadership through
deep empathy and introspection, a chief can become immortal.
2. Exhibit poise and a relaxed, conversational
style of presenting. Police chiefs, who strictly read from written statements
or robotically give telegraphed responses, do more harm than good. When an
officer is injured or killed, there is fear among the department, as well as,
throughout the general public. Officers are aware of the dangers of policing,
but seeing their fellow brother or sister lying in a pool of blood, creates a
new reality few can imagine. The general
public becomes alarmed because if society’s protectors are maimed or killed,
who will protect them? More importantly, will they be next? Chiefs, who are able to step inside the inner
sanctum of police personnel and the public to bring to the surface what is
lying deep inside them, are master communicators. By specifically describing these emotions to
these audiences and providing direction, chiefs become master teachers.
3. Use
tragedy to inspire progress. It is often
quoted that “Time heals all pain.” Although police chiefs cannot erase the pain
of an officer’s injury or death, they can create an environment that suggests “We
take care of our own.” Unfortunately,
taking care of one’s own is best reflected by not only what a chief does during
a crisis, but also what a chief does after
it. What lessons learned about the tragedy are being implemented? Has the department moved on as business as
usual? Do the chief’s actions follow the stated brand of the department? A
chief’s presentation during an officer’s injury or death should be looked at
from a 360-degree angle. In other words, every implication of the tragedy has
to be identified and expressed during and after the crisis. To fall short in this area, could be dire to
a police department.
In a rapidly expanding, competitive, and
often dangerous society, police chiefs have to be agile in their crisis
management skills. Unfortunately, after an officer’s injury or death, other
priorities move in to replace this crisis. However, if police chiefs master
effective leadership and communication skill sets during the darkest hours of
their watch, these same skill sets transfer into less severe crisis. Although
officer injury and death are inevitable, the ability to manage this level of
crisis is commensurate with a chief’s willingness to expand the scope of his or
her knowledge base.
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