3-4 Page Paper

Public Safety Leadership Assessment

Leadership is very important in public safety to ensure citizens, institutions and organizations are effectively protected against various threats. Leadership in police departments, fire forces and medical emergency services determine how safe citizens are. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for public safety by managing various disasters using the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The following paper analyzes the performance of major public safety leaders based on their leadership traits and roles, evaluates the current and future leadership patterns in public safety and compares effective and ineffective leadership.

Evaluate the performance of recognized public safety leaders in relation to leadership traits, roles, styles, and situations,

John Kelly was a secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and was able to have various accomplishments due to his leadership traits. He was also a Marine Corps who worked as the Chief of Staff between 2017 to 2019. For most of his life Kelly was a marine and the military leadership he acquired enabled him become successful in accomplishing assigned tasks in various capacities. The following are the key leadership traits exhibited by John Kelly:

(i) Being diplomatic – Kelly became a brigadier general in 2002 before the Iraq war began. After Baghdad fell in 2003, Kelly managed the task force that was sent to Tripoli on a mission to secure the Iraqi city. At first Kelly was not willing to work with the sheikhs in power because they were barely a democratic body, but he later worked with them to ensure peace was attained in the region (Boin, 2016).

(ii) Inspire loyalty – Kelly once indicated that assuring the marines that he got their back always inspired loyalty. He indicated that by inspiring loyalty the marines always approached him to address various concerns and helped him in various decision making processes. By inspiring loyalty, he was able to enhance the productivity of the marines.

Major David Huff of the Midwest City is another recognized public leader safety. The Major was once presented with The Medal of valor which is awarded to those who show extraordinary courage and great personality in protecting citizens against harm. Major Huff was awarded the medal for effectively handling a hostage situation in the city. The major was able to rescue a girl aged two-years after negotiations with a criminal who had the child at knife point. Sergeant Robert Wilson from Philadelphia Police Department was also presented with the medal due to the manner in which he risked his life to protect employees and customers during an armed robbery. The two leaders indicate that pubic state leaders should be very courageous and should be willing to even risk their lives for public safety.

Appraise current and future leadership trends in public safety

Currently, the effectiveness of a leader in public safety is determined by his/her ability to make complex decisions. The leaders should also have adequate knowledge and skills to be able to address emerging situations that may put the lives of the public in danger. Again, the leaders should be able to manage their teams and ensure any concerns are effectively addressed to foster collaboration within teams which ultimately improves productivity. Currently, there key factors that are affecting the effectiveness of public safety leaders. Some of the factors include the political environment and the initial approach adopted when getting into the new position. The main current trends in public safety include:

i. Politics is influencing the manner in which the police carry out their responsibilities especially when key political figures are against certain actions.

ii. Sheriffs are at times used to educate police chiefs on how to balance between politics and their responsibilities.

iii. Panel discussions are conducted at the Executive Development Institute with police chiefs who have moved from one jurisdiction to the other to determine their suggestions on dealing with politics (Flynn, 2015).

Future trends in public safety

i. Police chiefs should be offered yearly contracts that indicate responsibilities and time limits to get them ready for termination.

ii. Police chiefs should be trained on how to collaborate with the media and political leaders in enhancing public safety.

iii. Police chiefs should be further educated in regards to accountability and performance standards.

iv. Police chiefs need to understand the importance of managing and rewarding subordinates to improve their morale which will raise their performance standards.

Compare and contrast effective and ineffective leadership 

Effective leaders clearly stipulate what is required of their subordinates and ensure their duties and responsibilities are clearly outlined whereas ineffective leaders are often not clear on the duties and responsibilities of their subordinates. As a public safety leader, it is important to understand the responsibilities of all the subordinates to effectively be able to hold them accountable. When the subordinates understand what is expected of them, they are likely to be more productive. Effective leaders involve individuals in all departmental levels in decision making whereas ineffective leaders believe they are the only ones who can make effective decisions thus push away other views. To be able to effectively make a decision related to public safety, it is important to engage other stakeholders. Through this, an effective leader will be able to determine the most efficient solution to a given problem and how the solution can be improved (Herrington, 2015). Effective leaders are always accountable whereas ineffective leaders hold others accountable but not themselves. As a public safety leader, subordinates look up to you therefore your attributes greatly affect their attributes. Accepting when one has made mistakes is every important and will make subordinates gain accountability for their actions too. By being accountable, mistakes are identified faster and solutions effectively developed.

References

Boin, A., Stern, E., & Sundelius, B. (2016). The politics of crisis management: Public leadership under pressure. Cambridge University Press.

Flynn, E. A., & Herrington, V. (2015). Toward a profession of police leadership (pp. 1-18). Laurel, MD: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.

Herrington, V., & Colvin, A. (2015). Police leadership for complex times. Policing: A journal of policy and practice, 10(1), 7-16.