NCJ Number
207852
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 52 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 70-73
Editor(s)
Ed Sanow
Date Published
October 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examines the philosophy of empowerment for line supervisors and officers, providing them with the authority to take appropriate action to solve a problem with confidence and whether this philosophy actually works in practice.
Abstract
Empowerment is the act of giving line supervisors and officers the power to take the initiative, make decisions, and take appropriate action during incidents and times of crisis without waiting for administrative approval and without finger pointing or blame. The question posed in this article is does it really work in practice. Empowerment allows for creativity, while trusting mid-management and staff to do what they need to do when dealing with or preventing problems. An officer from a traditional department may feel fear from how a supervisor would react when they hear of an incident being handled in a controversial way. Under the philosophy of empowerment, people will make mistakes, but this goes with freedom to problem solve and be creative. If officers know the empowerment philosophy and the priorities of the agency’s leadership, they will know what to do. The Clearwater Police Department in Florida is presented as an example of an empowerment department. Clearwater pushes accountability down to the ranks. Its organizational structure empowers supervisors more than traditional departments, and it pushes authority and responsibility to first-line supervisors.