The Police Department and Power Hierarchies

The structure of the average law enforcement agency has always been a well-defined hierarchy. With the Chief on top making all the calls all the way down to the numerous amounts of officers carrying out orders barked down the line. While this has worked for many years, is it really the right way for departments today? Or is there a more effective structure that can be used?

Pyramid of Power

Modeled after the military, the ranks within the hierarchy of a police department are very structured and very specific. This has been the way for many many years. The average structure from top to bottom is usually; Chief, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, Detective and finally Officer. Although some extra ranks may be added here and there, this is generally the basic structure (Browne, C.). The farther down the line you go, the more people there are in those positions. Just like a pyramid.

The Chief, who is at the top of the food chain, has the final say in everything that goes on within the department. More of a figure head, they are usually the liaison to the public on behalf of the department (Browne, C.). The Captains are more of the person in charge of all the personnel. They are usually designated over certain departments within the organization. Lieutenants are usually in charge of a group of officers, like an entire shift. Sergeants are generally considered as supervisors to the lower officers. Detectives are mainly involved with investigations while Officers are the front line law enforcers to the public (Browne, C.).

This structure has been very effective over the years. It produces a rank structure of authority and delegation throughout the organization. However, this type of system also produces some internal problems. These can include but are not limited to, respect and trust amongst different ranks and having to follow policies set by those who are “behind a desk” and not on the front line (Wuestewald, T. 2006).

A newer, more revised system called participative management helps to solve these problems. Organizations create “steering committees” which is comprised of all different ranks. These committees work together for the benefit of the entire organization. Issues such as policies and procedures all the way through discipline and hiring techniques are looked over and re-evaluated to work effectively and efficiently (Wuestewald, T. 2006). Knowing that the entire department is working together for the same common goal helps to boost morale and respect for all ranks.

The Correctional Department that I currently work for has started becoming more and more participative in the ways discussed above. Although we still run under a hierarchy structure which I don’t ever see any department doing away with completely, we do have a steering committee that has gone through all of our policies and procedures and has asked for the input on what changes should and need to be made from all levels of staff. They are mostly focused on the officers since they are the front line forces within the facility and know what needs to be done and may have better ideas on how to carry them out.

In conclusion, although there is a rigid structure of hierarchy within law enforcement agencies, problems do arise and it takes the entire department to work out these issues. Participative management is a great solution to the needs of these organizations and everyone can benefit from the work that a steering committee can do to help streamline efficiency and make everyone proud to work for their respective agency.