NCJ Number
13126
Date Published
1968
Length
204 pages
Annotation
EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO TRAIN POLICE CHIEFS TO BETTER COPE WITH THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITY AND TO DEVELOP MATERIALS ON THE MOST USEFUL METHODS OF INSTRUCTION.
Abstract
THIRTY-ONE POLICE CHIEFS FROM TEN STATES ATTENDED THIS THREE-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM STAFF DESIGNED A DIVERSIFIED PROGRAM WHICH STRESSED SELF-DEVELOPMENT OF MANAGEMENT SKILLS. TWO TYPES OF PROGRAM MATERIAL WERE DEVELOPED - HARD DATA DEALING WITH SPECIFIC POLICE ADMINISTRATION PROBLEMS, AND A VARIETY OF TOPICS RELATING TO MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES. SEVERAL METHODS OF INSTRUCTION WERE UTILIZED - LECTURES, WORK PROJECT SESSIONS, CASE STUDY DISCUSSIONS, DIRECTED READING, AND THE 'IN BASKET EXERCISE'. IN THIS ROLE PLAYING SITUATION, THE PARTICIPANT ASSUMES AN EXECUTIVE POSITION AND IS REQUIRED TO MAKE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF DECISIONS UNDER SEVERE TIME LIMITATIONS. BOTH FORMAL AND INFORMAL STAFF AND PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS WERE USED TO EVALUATE THE COURSE. BOTH GROUPS RATED THE TRAINING COURSE FAVORABLY OVERALL. A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF THE INSTRUCTION METHODS RECOMMENDED THEM AS VALID APPROACHES TO EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT. A SECOND PROGRAM, 'WORKSHOP ON THE POLICE CHIEF'S EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE RELATIONSHIPS', WAS AN OUTGROWTH OF THE POLICE CHIEFS' TRAINING PROGRAM. POLICE CHIEFS MET IN A THREE-DAY SESSION WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THEIR CITY GOVERNMENTS TO EXPLORE POLICE PROBLEMS. ALTHOUGH ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSED DISSATISFACTION WITH SOME PART OF THE PROGRAM, THE STAFF RATED IT AN OVERALL SUCCESS SINCE IT DEMONSTRATED THE NEED FOR OPEN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. THE BULK OF THIS REPORT IS MADE UP OF THE APPENDIX WHICH CONTAINS PERTINENT DOCUMENTS AND FORMS USED IN THE TWO TRAINING PROGRAMS.