NCJ Number
159222
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1996) Pages: 37,39-40
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Leadership School established in May 1995 by the Baltimore Police Department demonstrates that the elements deemed essential to the police leadership process can be successfully imparted.
Abstract
To change from previous management training efforts, the agency decided to hold the classes in a Maryland Army National Guard setting and to use both police and military instructors in an unprecedented joint effort. The curriculum includes the following classes: Introduction to Leadership, Duties, Leadership Styles, Human Behavior/Motivation, Counseling, Maintaining Discipline, Effective Communications, Chain of Command, Problemsolving/Decisionmaking, and Ethics. Teaching approaches include lectures, discussion, and the frequent use of dramatic clips from contemporary films to emphasize positive and negative leadership characteristics. The school also uses case studies that highlight longstanding problems inherent in the police profession. The Leadership School is mandatory for every sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and major in the Baltimore Police Department, as well as those on promotional lists and selected police officers who demonstrate high potential for the leadership role. Both instructors and participants are enthusiastic about the school and its impacts.