textfiles/law/employleb.law

September 1990                                                    

                                                                  
                EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS                         

                              By

                John L. Pape, Chief of Police
              Weslaco, Texas, Police Department 
                                                                  
                                                                 
     Police administrators of small law enforcement agencies face 
great challenges as they seek to provide service with severely 
limited financial resources.  An area often overlooked as having 
revenue-saving potential is employee retention.  There is no 
doubt that excessive employee turnover financially drains any 
police agency, regardless of size.  But, in a smaller agency, it 
can be fiscally devastating.  One option is for administrators to 
consider using a well-structured employee development program to 
manage employee turnover effectively.                           

THE PROBLEM                                                      

     When a law enforcement agency experiences high employee 
turnover, it must then bear the expense of recruiting, testing, 
hiring, training, and equipping replacement officers.  In the 
smaller police agency, expenses related to employee turnover 
easily lead to acute problems, such as manpower shortages, which 
usually must be compensated for with overtime expense.  The 
strain placed on the remaining officers can result in poor morale 
and a loss of overall effectiveness and safety.  As a result, the 
potential for liability may also increase as officers become more 
likely to make serious mistakes due to fatigue.                   

     Unfortunately, police administrators have often taken the 
position that little can be done to prevent employee turnover. 
And, many administrators of smaller agencies believe that they 
cannot compete with larger ones that are able to offer better pay 
with more opportunities for advancement and personal fulfillment. 
These administrators traditionally accept the fact that their 
most talented officers will be drawn to larger agencies after a 
year or two.  This, in turn, causes them to possibly reject 
capable applicants because of their anticipated short tenure with 
the agency.                                                       

     In accepting this role as a stepping stone to larger 
departments, the small agency finds itself with continuing 
personnel turnover and the related financial burden. 
Additionally, the level of service can suffer due to the lack of 
experienced officers, leading to possible problems in public 
satisfaction with a police agency's mandate to protect and serve.  

     The traditional solution to this problem is to increase pay 
and benefits for officers to compete with larger departments. 
Unfortunately, most smaller communities do not have the necessary 
financial resources.  In addition, even with reasonably 
competitive pay and benefits, an officer who is not allowed to 
experience personal and professional growth may begin to look  
for an agency with greater opportunities.                        

THE APPROACH                                                      

     What motivates employees to do their jobs to the best of 
their abilities, or in this case, to remain with a particular  
police department?  According to Abraham Maslow, human needs can 
be plotted on a hierarchy that begins with the most basic needs 
and progresses to the most complex.  This process toward 
self-actualization progresses according to the following:        

     *  Physiological needs--need for survival, food, shelter;
     
     *  Safety needs--need for security and absence of threat;

     *  Affiliation needs--need for close, affectionate
        relationships;

     *  Achievement and esteem--need to achieve goals and 
        self-respect; and,                                                

     *  Self-actualization--need to develop skills and abilities
        to the maximum. (1)

     In simplest terms, this means reaching one's greatest 
potential.  While police departments tend to view motivation in 
terms of providing sufficient pay and benefits to attract and 
retain employees, they often fail to recognize that human needs 
and motivation do not stop there.                                 

     Douglas McGregor evaluated Maslow's hierarchy of needs in 
terms of employment and introduced the relationship between needs 
and work to modern management. According to McGregor, Maslow's 
concepts relate to work as follows:                               

     *  Physiological--employee needs to perform the job to
        retain the position and receive pay;

     *  Safety--employee needs and desires job security;             

     *  Affiliation--employee needs to achieve acceptance within
        a work group.  This relates to productivity in that an
        employee's output will generally conform to the group's
        performance standard as a means of gaining acceptance;

     *  Achievement/Esteem--employee seeks opportunities to
        achieve, be recognized and to advance; and,

     *  Self-actualization--employee is given the opportunity to 
        meet challenges that are personally meaningful. (2)                  

     While the traditional incentives of money and benefits may 
help to satisfy the lower levels of the hierarchy, they do not 
promote superior performance or employee retention, nor do they 
help to satisfy the needs in the upper levels of the hierarchy. 
These upper levels are the levels that the most highly motivated 
employees are attempting to achieve, and they are also the levels 
least likely to be satisfied in agencies with no employee 
development program.                                             

THE SOLUTION                                                      

     For smaller agencies the key to resolving excessive
employee turnover may be to offer a structured employee
development program.  While this may not completely solve the
problem, it does enhance the employee's tenure in both time and
quality of service.

     Many police departments tend to view motivation simply in 
terms of providing sufficient pay and benefits to attract and 
retain employees.  However, in doing this, they often fail to 
recognize that while money and benefits may satisfy the 
lower-ranking police officer, they do not promote superior 
performance or employee retention nor do they satisfy the needs 
of higher-ranking officers.                                       

     Furthermore, most people need to be recognized for their 
efforts and want to do a good job because it helps to satisfy 
their need to feel worthwhile.  However, when obstacles are 
placed in their way, such as a lack of recognition, inadequate 
rewards/reinforcement, and a lack of professional and personal 
growth opportunities, employees become frustrated.  Therefore, 
the key is to structure an educational development program to 
attract highly motivated applicants and to help employees fulfill 
needs traditionally overlooked.  And, while employees may 
eventually move into other agencies, the program helps to ensure 
that during their tenure, officers will be more motivated and 
want to perform as best they can.                                 

     The employee development program can be as extensive as the 
administrator wishes, but it must incorporate at least the 
following points:                                                 

     *  Implementation of high professional standards                

     *  A strong reward/reinforcement plan                           

     *  An educational incentive plan, and                           

     *  A professional development plan.                    

High Professional Standards                                       

     High professional standards are vital to an employee 
development program simply because anything less would not 
attract the more highly qualified and more motivated individual. 
Agencies must reflect a sufficient degree of professionalism for 
employees to take pride in their jobs. This process begins with a 
positive and professional recruiting and hiring process aimed at 
identifying the most qualified applicants.                        

     Further, a professional approach to policing includes the 
professional appearance of personnel, vehicles, and facilities. 
In addition, a thorough procedural manual and code of conduct is 
vital, as is a comprehensive and fair disciplinary system. 
Training and management procedures must also adhere to the 
highest professional standards.  But, above all, pride and 
professionalism must be emphasized continually to all personnel.  

Reward/Reinforcement System                                       

     The second point of the employee development program 
involves a strong reward/reinforcement system. Too often, 
management only doles out disciplinary action and neglects to 
recognize employees who deserve commendation. By implementing a 
strong reward/reinforcement system, smaller agencies promote the 
delivery of superior police service and greatly improve 
departmental morale.                                              

     This recognition program can be as simple or as elaborate as 
the department administrator wishes.  For example, commendable 
acts of a lesser nature can be acknowledged through letters of 
commendation.  For more noteworthy acts, departmental 
certificates of commendation can be issued.  For the most 
noteworthy acts, police recognition medals or ribbons can be 
awarded to deserving personnel.  Criteria for various police 
awards can be established on a departmental basis.  Additionally, 
the local media should be notified and the officer publicly 
praised.                                                

Educational Incentive Plan                                        

     The third, and most important, facet of an employee
development program is an educational incentive plan. Such a
plan allows for the officer's educational development, while
making that officer a more productive and effective member of
the department.  It also naturally attracts applicants who want
to pursue higher education.  Obviously, the officer who desires
personal improvement is highly motivated and a desirable asset
to any department.  And, by encouraging educational development,
an agency can ensure the officer's retention at least until
completion of college. Normally, it will take an officer 5 to 8
years to complete a baccalaureate degree program, depending on
the course load the officer carries.

     An educational incentive plan could also include a pay
scale based on education and a tuition  reimbursement plan.  The
incentive pay scale can be adjusted to the needs of the
individual department.  And, to ensure that the semester hours
represent quality work, the department may wish to recognize
only those hours that meet a set quality point average.
Compared to across-the-board pay raises, an incentive plan can
be substantially less expensive.

     Under the tuition reimbursement portion of the plan, 
officers enroll in the course(s) at an accredited institution at 
their own expense.  After successfully completing the course(s), 
officers who verify completion would be appropriately reimbursed.  
As with the incentive pay scale, an agency may wish to reimburse 
only those course(s) completed with a grade of ``C'' or better. 
Also, limiting the number of reimbursable hours per semester 
prevents employees from overloading, which could result in 
decreased proficiency in both academic pursuits and at work.      

     Work schedules should be structured to allow employees to 
attend classes.  This can be accomplished by rotating shifts in 
conjunction with local university semesters. While an occasional 
conflict may arise, they can usually be easily resolved. 
An educational incentive plan restructures the pay scale and 
rewards employees for pursuing and achieving educational goals. 
By implementing such a plan, an agency benefits from better 
educated, highly motivated, and personally fulfilled employees.   

Professional Development                                          

     For those employees seeking personal fulfillment from 
professional ability rather than through formal education, a
program for professional development is essential.  Too often,
employees are not offered sufficient opportunities for
professional development and tend to remain in rigidly assigned
positions.  However, a reasonable system of rotating
assignments, patrol enhancement techniques, and training
opportunities can be initiated. The number of officers involved
at a given time, and the frequency of assignment rotation, can
be tailored to a particular department's needs.

     Rotating assignments can be as simple as assigning a patrol 
officer to work in another assignment for a temporary period of 
time.  After completing the temporary duty, the patrol officer 
will have gained knowledge and practical experience in another 
police function while experiencing professional growth. Such 
temporary assignments also allow administrators to evaluate the 
employee's performance in the temporary position for possible 
later consideration for permanent assignments.                    

     Patrol enhancement is another method that can stimulate and 
develop an officer's abilities. Patrol enhancement is simply 
allowing an officer to answer the initial call, conduct the 
investigation, file the charges, obtain the arrest warrant, and 
arrest the perpetrator without the assistance of another officer. 
In many agencies, this is often done out of necessity.  However, 
as departments grow, they tend to become more specialized.  This 
lets officers know that they are vital players in the 
department's mission.  While such a program can be tailored to 
any agency, the key to patrol enhancement is for the 
administrator to view patrol officers as vital resources.         

     A final step in an agency's professional development
program involves an aggressive use of police training resources.
Many times, training opportunities end with the basic academy or
the fulfillment of State-mandated minimums. Even so, an agency
can offer a variety of opportunities for professional training.
If the agency is too small to offer formal inservice training,
it can use the resources of regional police academies, technical
training centers, and even larger neighboring police
departments.  While every officer cannot attend every course,
the administrator should allow as many officers as possible to
participate.  Another avenue to encourage officers to augment
training on their own time is for an agency to consider paying
for meals and providing transportation.  What is important is
that officers not be discouraged from developing themselves
professionally.

THE MERCEDES POLICE EXPERIENCE                                    

     In 1986, an employee development program was a major factor 
in the departmental reorganization of the Mercedes, Texas, Police 
Department.  The department is comprised of 25 officers serving a 
municipality of approximately 14,000 persons.                     

     The first step of the reorganization was to establish high 
professional standards throughout the department.  Once these 
standards were established, the department implemented a 
rewards/reinforcement system to recognize and promote superior 
performance.  As a result, the delivery of police service showed 
an immediate marked improvement, and public confidence increased.  

     Patrol enhancement in the form of limited follow-up
responsibility in certain offenses, team policing duties, and
walking patrol assignments became a part of the program.
Officers were extremely receptive to these duties and soon began
to suggest that more assignments be added to the patrol
enhancement program.  The public was also quick to note the
officers' increased involvement.

     The department then initiated a policy requiring a minimum 
of 40 hours inservice training per year per officer. In 
addition, a wide variety of training was offered to police 
personnel. At the end of 1986, after 7 months of this policy, 
each officer had achieved an average of 96 hours of training. By 
the end of 1987, this average increased to 109 hours of training 
per officer.                                                      

     Prior to implementing the educational incentive plan, only 
two officers had any college-level education, only one had an 
associate's degree in law enforcement from a community college, 
and one officer was attending college.  Within the first year of  
the program, 6 officers earned college credits, and 10 were 
actively enrolled in college courses.  In addition, recruiting 
efforts attracted three officers with an average of 2 years' 
college experience, all of whom indicated that they were 
attracted to the department because it would allow them to 
continue their education.                                         

     Subsequent recruiting efforts also resulted in applicants 
who were well-educated, highly motivated, and extremely desirable 
candidates for employment.  In addition, prior to the 
implementation of the employee development program, the agency's 
turnover rate was 38 percent.  In the 24-month period following 
the full implementation of the employee development program, the 
turnover rate decreased to 7 percent. (3)  This reduction in the 
turnover rate resulted in an estimated budgetary savings of at 
least $53,000.                                            

CONCLUSION                                                        

     A properly structured and managed employee development
program can be extremely beneficial to both the police
department and the police officer.  By structuring the program
to appeal to highly motivated individuals, providing them with
opportunities to satisfy their needs for esteem and
self-actualization, and allowing them an opportunity to
contribute to the overall mission of the organization, a police
department can significantly improve employee job satisfaction.
This job satisfaction will translate into improved morale,
greater initiative, and a desire to deliver superior service to
the community.  This program will also significantly reduce
employee turnover within the smaller agency which, in turn,
saves the department money.

     Departments should realize that the initial expense of 
implementing an employee development program is minimal when 
compared to the benefits it can offer to both the law enforcement 
agency and the officer.  But, most importantly, as a result of 
the program, employees experience professional growth and 
development, and the agency gains better trained and personally 
satisfied employees.                                      

FOOTNOTES
                                                       
     (1)  Abraham H. Maslow, Motivation and Personality (New York:  
Harper and Row Company, 1954).                                    

     (2)  Douglas McGregor, The Human Side of Enterprise (New York:  
Viking Press, Inc., 1971).                                        

     (3)  An annual turnover rate of 5 to 15 percent is generally 
considered to be within the acceptable range for a fully 
developed organization.  But, the ideal turnover rate is 7 
percent.  Roy Clinton McLaren and O.W. Wilson, Police 
Administration (New York:  McGraw-Hill Publishing, 1977).