Progressive Discipline: Action Plan
Adam King
Liberty University
CJUS 830: Organizational Conflict Management
Dr. Jonathon Zemke
June 14, 2025
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PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE: ACTION PLAN
Abstract
Progressive discipline is a concept that is meant to course correct wayward employees. If minor
course corrections are proving ineffective, it is a style of discipline that allows for the separation
of employment, if necessary, with that employee. Progressive discipline allows for legitimacy,
stability, and accountability within the police agency. Departments that lack effective discipline
policies are shown to be less productive and have more personnel issues. Cesare Beccaria, a
forefather of criminology, believed that severity, quickness, and certainty were key aspects of
punishment in the justice system. This also rings true for disciplinary issues within police
agencies. Leadership plays an important role in the disciplinary process. Agencies that allow for
accountability to be held at lower ranks have more success than those that send everything up the
chain of command. A progressive discipline policy that empowers line-level supervisors to
address issues has led to fewer policy violations from subordinate officers.
Keywords: progressive discipline, accountability, certainty, chain of command
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Problem Description
Law enforcement agencies are made up of personnel who come from different cultures
and with their own stories. Personnel have their values that have been shaped by the chapters of
their lives. When they become part of an agency, they are putting some of that to the side and
joining something bigger than they are. The expectation is that there is a standard of conduct that
everyone is subject to, and if their conduct is outside of that standard, then disciplinary action of
some sort is to be expected. Agencies have encompassing policies that dictate the level of
discipline that actions are subject to and the process by which they should be administered.
When internal affairs find consistent violations of policy from certain supervisors and
nothing is done, stink and rumors run through an agency. Significant policy violations have been
found against a supervisor within the last six months. This is after the same supervisor has had
similar violations of policy that have been affirmed and sustained. A lack of progressive
discipline by the administration has hamstrung them and thwarted their credibility within the
agency. This has particularly affected other supervisors who strive to do the right thing and abide
by agency policy. The fallout of this has led to a distrust of the offending supervisor and a lack of
motivation by non-offending officers. Anecdotally, I have seen burnout creep in to the extent that
it has led to good officers looking for greener pastures. Data exists that backs this observation up
(Leonard, 2019). Administrations’ attitudes towards progressive discipline and general
accountability must change for my agency to trend positively.
Detailed Background
Sgt. Morris is the policy violator who has obfuscated progressive discipline during her
time with the department. Issues with Sgt. Morris has been documented since early 2014 when
her shift had multiple complaints filed by citizens from incidents related to how they talked to
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civilians. Sgt. Morris and Officer Ogg had the citizens of Commerce, Georgia, consistently
complaining about their language and aggressive attitudes towards people on calls. This lack of
discipline from these small grievances has fostered a feeling of invulnerability in her and her
shift. Officer Ogg had separate instances when he was acting alone and received only verbal
counseling from the chief. One instance occurred at a high school football when Officer Ogg saw
a student under the bleachers and began to curse him out. The 15-year-old's father caught wind of
this and contacted the chief. The chief met with Ogg, but no formal record of the incident was
kept.
Several months later, I was assigned to conduct an Internal affairs investigation of an
incident involving Officer Ogg, who was still working under the command of Sgt. Morris. Ogg
had insulted someone conducting a First Amendment audit and filming him while performing his
duties. The civilian was well within his constitutional grounds to do what he was doing. Ogg
took exception to him and went inside the business where he was running his Lidar. Ogg insulted
the civilian to the business owners by claiming that he was a child molester and solicited a
criminal trespass from them to get the auditor off their property. The auditor requested all the
footage and placed it on YouTube, along with the footage he captured. The response from the
auditor community was fierce and seemingly never-ending. As the investigator, I do not make
recommendations, but, found several sustained code of conduct violations and turned the file
over. The chief terminated the officer’s employment with us. His termination sent waves through
the department as our small department knew that there was no progressive discipline process
followed that would have justified the response from the administration.
The fallout from this seemingly quick trigger was that officers were hesitant to interact
with the community, and made them feel that any discipline enacted would have no precedent or
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be grounded in progressivity. It made it seem that discipline was arbitrary, which leads officers to
be distrustful of the administration. Terminations are going to garner a response from officers no
matter the situation. In my experience, they are usually seen coming as the officer involved has
had several noted disciplinary actions or the offense is egregious enough that officers can see the
writing on the wall. In this case, neither was believed to be the case by the officers.
Sgt. Morris’s behavior was not moved by the termination of an officer under her
command. Since the incident, it has been brought to my attention that she still tends to escalate
situations. In one such incident that was explained to me by an officer, she insulted a man inside
his own home during a verbal-only domestic. Anyone involved in law enforcement for any
amount of time knows that domestic calls are some of the most tense and rapidly evolving
situations that an officer has to deal with. They consistently involve officers interacting with
citizens in unfamiliar territory to the officer, and even in the home of the parties involved. Sgt.
Morris was speaking with the wife who just wanted to leave the residence for the night. Within
earshot of the husband, she stated something to the effect of, “Great, it is good you get away
from this idiot for the night.” Fortunately, her subordinate officer was able to keep the drunken
husband from causing a scene.
The Commerce Christmas parade was held at night in 2024, and most of the department
worked it, including Sgt. Morris and me. A lady fell off her float and her son came through town
at a reckless speed to get to her. I got out with the man and was explaining that emergency
personnel had the scene under control and his mom was going to be okay. Sgt. Morris, who saw
the man fly through town, came up to him while I was speaking with him and began to berate
him about his driving. This provocation did not play well, and the man began to argue back with
Sgt. Morris. She did not take the rebuttal and continued to argue and yell at the man. It was such
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an issue that I had to tap her on her vest so she would realize that her behavior was an issue.
Another supervisor got in between her and the man and walked the man away from her. To
clarify, other officers had to intervene to de-escalate the supervisor. Administration was made
aware, and nothing was done. Officers took note of this.
The most egregious situation occurred in mid-December of 2024. The Commerce Police
Department endeavors to assist other agencies in our area when we can. Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office began a vehicle pursuit for a traffic violation. Our policy is not to pursue
vehicles for such infractions. We will assist agencies as they come through our jurisdiction, no
matter the cause for their pursuit, but we will not continue beyond. That is our policy and
practice at least. Sgt. Morris continued past the city limits to assist the county. Our department
had two other officers on duty who also joined in the pursuit. Sgt. Norris acknowledged that they
joined the pursuit, and they all left the city limits long behind them while pursuing this vehicle
for traffic violations. Sgt. Norris instructed her two subordinate officers to conduct a box-in so
the fleeing vehicle would stop. The maneuver was attempted, and the fleeing vehicle attempted
to shoot a gap between the two Commerce vehicles. This led to a motor vehicle accident, leaving
one CPD vehicle totaled and another one out of commission for several weeks. I conducted
another Internal Affairs investigation into the matter and found numerous violations of policy,
including failure to supervise, incompetence, and pursuit-related issues. The completed report sat
in the Chief’s inbox for over a month before he abruptly announced his retirement. The
administrative lieutenant also chose not to do anything and left soon after. From private
conversations that were had with the administrative lieutenant, we both believed that a demotion
was at least in store for Sgt. Morris. The interim chief stepped in has only stated that the matter
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has been handled. Sgt. Morris has not received any reprimands, other than verbal ones, for her
list of transgressions at the Commerce Police Department.
Manifestation
Part of my role with the department is to run monthly reports and keep up with
accreditation standards. My role in the department puts me in contact with everyone in our small
department. People see me as a confidant and will share issues with me in hopes that they will be
placed on the administration's radar anonymously as not to cause animosity between co-workers.
The perks of being the internal affairs person is that I come across like Switzerland as a neutral
agent, only there to hold a mirror up to misgivings. In this role, I have seen productivity go down
from certain shifts surrounding these incidents. Of course, it is not enough to know if it is a
correlative or a causal relationship.
Agency morale is crucial to maintaining an effective department. It is expensive to
replace officers as basic training is six months, with an additional three months in field training.
Fairness is important to officers within an agency as the job is so psychologically unpredictable
(Hilal & Litsey, 2020). Hilal & Litsey also point out that positive opinions of organizational
justice led to higher job satisfaction and commitment. When considering the issues outlined, it
should not be a surprise that morale and the opinion of the agency among the officers are at a
perceived low. To date, the Commerce Police Department has been fortunate that officers who
have voiced their complaints to me have not endeavored to leave for greener pastures. Officers
are in line for a $5,000 raise come July 2025. This raise will ensure that we are the highest paid
in our area outside of metro areas. The pay, coupled with the great health insurance the city
offered, can only keep officers for so long before they believe the situation to be untenable for
them to stay.
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Previous Efforts of Resolution
Two chiefs ago, the Commerce Police Department had an excellent track record of
progressive discipline. Officers knew that continued acts of policy violation would eventually
lead to their termination. This chief utilized “last chance agreements,” where those who signed it
knew they were on thin ice. The agreement was signed after the officer had sustained policy
violations against them. Verbiage of the agreement made it clear that if any policy violation was
to be sustained upon the officer they would, not could, be terminated from employment. This
was clear and direct leadership that was precluded by progressive discipline practiced. Personnel
files from this administration indicate that progressive discipline documentation was completed
and placed inside personnel files.
The most recent chief who left the department had no such history of progressive
discipline. Any verbal or written counseling statements that were completed were all handled at
the lieutenant level. The agency head should place some onus on his staff to handle personnel
issues. In a private conversation with the previously mentioned departed administrative
lieutenant, it was clear that the firing of Officer Ogg was moved along and forced by City Hall.
This would be easier for agency personnel to swallow if this chief had progressive discipline
policies that had been utilized. The rumor swirled through the department that City Hall was
indeed responsible, which further undercut the trust in the department administration to do the
right thing.
The new Chief of Police for the Commerce Police Department started on May 12, 2025.
It is yet to be determined which route he takes. Upon the departure of the previous chief, the city
manager sent a survey that officers were anonymously allowed to fill out and submit their
thoughts on issues plaguing the agency. As is tradition, officers spoke openly about their issues
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and indicated that uneven disciplinary practices were a concern of theirs that needed to be
addressed. They stressed that lack of transparency from the administration created an
unnecessary distrust that could be resolved with open and clear lines of communication.
Administration is important to any police department. Their importance should not get in the
way of the most important part of the department, the officers themselves.
Theoretical Framework and Literature Review
Before developing a plan to combat issues within the agency, of progressive discipline.
The process of progressive discipline needs to be understood to the fullest that it can be. After
dozens of articles were reviewed, progressive discipline does not always use that chosen
moniker. A full review of these articles and their description of the discipline policies discussed
makes it clear that they are discussing progressive discipline. A framework of organizational
justice theory, and particularly procedural justice within that framework, was studied. Also, a
review of agency policies around the United States was conducted to understand the differing
perspectives on progressive discipline within the law enforcement community and how that fits
with organizational justice. Public sector organizations were also studied to draw parallels to
disciplinary policies and how they overlap or possibly could be utilized in a law enforcement
setting. Finally, police oversight committees were considered and how they may impact
disciplinary policies,
Organizational Justice
Law enforcement professionals in all manner of positions within the system are
concerned with the ideal of procedural justice. Law enforcement officers believe procedural
justice shouldn’t just occur during traffic stops and murder trials. It should also permeate the
structure of a police agency. They believe agencies should operate with the ideas of consistency
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and fairness that underlie procedural justice (Drew & Chevroulet, 2024). When procedural
justice becomes a part of an organizational mindset, it is known as the concept of organizational
justice. When organizations utilize organizational justice when engaging with employees, it is
found that trust is built between the employer and employee. This trust improves the engagement
of the employee with their job. In the case of law enforcement, this is going to produce better
outcomes with citizens and with interpersonal relationships (Mubashar et al., 2022).
Procedural Justice is only one component of complete organizational justice. Other
tenants are distributive justice, which considers that outcomes are fair for all employees.
Interactional justice involves fairness in the communication between the employee and employer.
Distributive justice involves not just the disciplinary process, but also how the work is
distributed, rights are distributed equally amongst employees, and employees have access to the
same benefits. Interactional justice ensures that all employees are communicated with fairly and
impartially during interpersonal communications (Mubashar et al., 2022).
Progressive discipline can be viewed through an organizational justice framework. Proper
progressive discipline policies will ensure that employees are dealt with fairly and consistently.
Agencies can choose to flesh out their discipline policies completely, such as the New York PD
has done with their matrix, which is dozens of pages long (New York Police Department, 2024).
Or an agency can operate more vaguely, such as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Their
policy lists several offenses that are automatically terminable. Outside of those offenses, the
policy states that progressive discipline should be used Georgia Department of Public Safety,
2022). No matter what the method is, the intent is to establish organizational justice that will
legitimize the agency to its employees.
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Uncertainty in the workplace comes from many angles. One of those angles should not be
due to a lack of organizational justice. When organizational justice is done, it positively
influences job performance. When employees have high confidence in the procedural justice
portion of organizational justice, they are more confident in their work environment (Faeq &
Ismael, 2022). This good feeling that an employee holds for their employer means the employee
is more likely to go above what is expected of them. In the policing world, this can lead to
officers more positively engaging with their community, which could lead to fewer issues with
officers performing their duties within the community.
within an agency.
Progressive Discipline and the Police Force
Progressive discipline is not a 21st-century policy invention. The book of Matthew in the
Bible touches on the topic of how to discipline members of the early church (Christian Standard
Bible, 2017). Progressive discipline in a modern sense is defined largely in policy manuals of
police and other public and private agencies. The Ferguson, Missouri police department defines
progressive discipline as “An employee disciplinary system that provides a graduated range of
responses to employee performance or conduct problems.” (Ferguson Police Department, n.d.).
Their policy states that the purpose is to be consistent and uniform in discipline throughout the
department. Any punishment must correspond to the violation. Elevators exist in the policy that
allow for repeat violations of the same infraction to be disciplined at a higher level. This
progression of discipline ensures that repeat offenses are not handled the same every time. It
allows the department to correct or dismiss repeat violators. A policy of progressive discipline
that is well understood, predictable, and acted upon by leadership steadies an agency and
ultimately benefits the department.
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Progressive Discipline
Progressive discipline at its core is about the professionalism of police agencies. August
Vollmer is a worn name in police academia. His ideals as the Chief of Berkley California, are
some of the earliest that sought to professionalize the police force. Vollmer wanted to eradicate
corruption and increase professionalism in all areas of the police. He thought that keeping strict
standards in many facets of policing would accomplish this. Police were to keep detailed logs
and dress with the utmost professionalism. Vollmer combined a military regiment with college-
educated officers to surprising results within the department. Vollmer was criticized for his
college-educated officers, but they proved effective at their jobs. His push for professionalism
and efficiency of the police force has not been fully implemented to date across the country
(Douthit, 1975).
Policy and Procedure Review
Cesare Beccaria wrote in his 1767 essay titled An Essay on Crimes in Punishment that the
best kind of law was one that was written down and promulgated. Beccaria also argued that
crime and punishment should be proportionate to one another (Bessler, 2019). Many police
agencies have taken this same approach when it comes to the rules that steer the department. The
New York City Police Department has a manual that has become known as “The Matrix”. This
56-page document has an all-encompassing list where every offense has a mitigated penalty and
an aggravated penalty. Aggravating factors can include a low probability of being rehabilitated,
excessive property damage, and misuse of police technology. Mitigating factors can include a
lack of policy clarity, limited property damage, and de-escalation was attempted by the offending
member. After considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, punishment will be
selected from the appropriate range and given to the offending party. The NYPD policy considers
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prior disciplinary history as an aggravating circumstance, which increases the punishment in
their guidelines. “The Matrix” dictates that the more serious the previous punishment, the longer
it will be considered an aggravating circumstance (New York Police Department, 2024).
The Ferguson, Missouri, police department came under immense scrutiny following the
shooting death of Michael Brown. The microscope that the department found itself under
ushered in a wave of change, not just through the Ferguson Police Department, but also through
agencies around the country whose policies, procedures, and relationships with the public came
into question (Culhane & Schweitzer, 2017). The Ferguson Police implemented new policies,
one of which was a disciplinary guideline. This policy does not go as in-depth as “The Matrix”,
but it does outline a progressive discipline policy that stipulates that repeat offenses for the same
offender shall face harsher discipline. The discipline outlined in the policy begins with an oral
reprimand and progresses through to dismissal of the offending party (Ferguson Police
Department, n.d.).
State law enforcement agencies have also set progressive discipline policies. The Georgia
Bureau of Investigation (GBI) follows a progressive discipline policy not unlike the NYPD or
the Ferguson Police Department. The GBI policy gives more authority to terminate employees
on a first offense if said offense falls within a broad scope of prohibited activities. Language
within the policy dictates that, when possible, progressive discipline shall be used. Oral
reprimands are the similarly the beginning of the disciplinary ladder. Following that the GBI
utilizes letter of concern and letters of instruction that can be moved up through the chain of
command to begin a more formal disciplinary procedure. These higher proceedings that may lead
to adverse actions, such as loss of pay or demotion, must be administered by a limited group of
supervisors (Georgia Department of Public Safety, 2022).
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Federal agencies utilize progressive discipline policies as well. In a 2014 policy revision,
the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) adopted progressive discipline. They are also
clear that a first offense that is serious enough is grounds for dismissal. Aggravating and
mitigating circumstances are utilized just as they are in the NYPD matrix (Transportation
Security Administration, 2014). A matrix system, much like the NYPD system, has been
published by the United States Marshal Service (USMS). This rubric lists 16 pages of policy
violations followed by penalties for first, second, and third violations. Each subsequent violation
results in a higher penalty for the offending marshal (United States Marshall Service, n.d.). Not
all agencies are created equal, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) policy for disciplinary action
does not mention progressive discipline. It should be noted that the DOJ policy is the oldest of all
those reviewed, being written in 1998. Written Reprimands through dismissals are mentioned
and discussed by order of severity of punishment, but there is nothing stating that discipline has
to follow a certain script as it is handed down (U.S. Department of Justice, 1998).
Not all agencies across the country have created progressive discipline policies. The
Commerce Police Department is a small agency in North Georgia. This agency has combined its
disciplinary actions with its supervisory responsibility policy. While the policy details actions
from verbal warning to termination. There is no mention of how this could be done progressively
from the consideration of aggravating or mitigating factors that could elevate the level of
punishment for repeat offenders (Commerce Police Department, 2018).
Discipline and Outcomes
Employee discipline is geared to creating a culture that adheres to organizational policy
and procedure (Agbeyinka, 2024). Effective discipline policies reward positive behavior and
punish bad behavior. If done effectively, organizations will run more effectively with happier
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employees. Agbeyinka argues that when employers use discipline for punitive reasons and not
just to correct misconduct, the organization can suffer. Other factors can cause a disciplinary
policy to suffer, such as nepotism, corruption, favoritism, and political interference.
Administering Discipline
Beccaria had three principles that he believed should be evident through the justice
process. These principles are celerity, certainty, and severity. Beccaria understood celerity, which
is the idea that punishment should be swift, to be the most important of the three (Bessler, 2019).
Agbeyinka’s (2024) research indicates that this principle is also true when dealing with employee
discipline. There should be as little time as possible between the transgression and agency-
sanctioned action. The judgment should also be only as severe as it needs to be, which follows
Beccaria’s principles as well. Agbeyinka’s research shows that discipline has to be equal
throughout the agency. If it is deemed that discipline is given out unfairly, then morale will drop,
and agency productivity will fall. The negative action should be the only thing under judgment,
not the employee. Every employee should feel as though they would have received the same
punishment had they violated policy in the same manner. Any punishment given needs to be
brought to light to members of the organization so they can know what to expect if they violate
in a similar manner (Agbeyinka, 2024).
The goal of discipline is to course correct employees who have strayed. By doing this,
others will see adverse actions and know where to steer away from. Misunderstanding and
distrust will foster if discipline is not well conducted. Xin et al. (2022) give five principles that
should be followed in any disciplinary situation. First, problems should be dealt with at once and
consistently. Second, the facts should be known before any adverse action to the employee.
Thirdly, employees should be made aware of all allegations against them. Fourth, a witness
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should be present during questioning. Lastly, there should be an appeals process for any
disciplinary action.
Progressive discipline is utilized as a corrective method of discipline. The steps in
administering progressive discipline lend themselves to corrective measures with harsher
punishments if correction is not made continuously. Xin et al. (2022) believe that disciplinary
actions should start at the lowest level possible, and as needed, they should work their way up
through management ranks. This would mean that a first offense that is minor in stakes can be
handled by a line-level supervisor. If the punishment given by the line-level supervisor doesn’t
create corrective action, then the next level of punishment will be administered by the next
highest-ranking supervisor. The authors argue that progressive discipline is the most systematic
and procedural method of discipline that an organization can use.
Discipline that is handled poorly will cost an organization in the long run. This is due to
administrative hearings, attorney fees, loss of production from other employees, and replacement
of lost staff. Mukhalipi (2018) also writes that discipline holds the relationship tension of respect
between the employee and the employer. If not done correctly, respect will be lost and will have
a detrimental impact on the agency. Agencies should care for their lowest employee as much as
they do any customer. If that reverence is held, then respect will be maintained. Mukhalipi
recommends that a corrective model of discipline be used and not a punitive one. Punitive
discipline begins with severe sanctions such as unpaid suspensions. Corrective action would start
with unrecorded warnings and move to written warnings before moving to dismissal. Corrective
Discipline is about re-engaging an employee. Punitive discipline risks alienating them ever
further (Mukhalipi, 2018).
Labor Unions and Discipline
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Progressive discipline is an ideal way to go about agency discipline (Xin et al, 2022;
Agbeyinka, 2024). Collective bargaining from police unions in some instances has harmed and
prevented an effective progressive discipline policy. Unions negotiate rigid outcomes for
disciplinary outcomes that can prevent progressive measures from occurring. Rad et al. (2023)
believe that this facilitates an environment where officers are more likely to perpetrate
misconduct without fear of discipline. Due to rules that were collectively bargained for, there
have been instances where an officer’s misconduct was not contested, but due to the agency
making an error in the process, the officer gets to keep their job (Rad et al., 2023).
Leadership and Discipline
The feelings of the employee base toward a leader will affect how employees feel about
the discipline that is administered within the organization. An Indonesian study conducted by
Puspitasari and Wulandari (2022) aimed to determine which leadership style was most effective
in disciplining staff. Of the leadership styles considered it was determined that directive leaders
are most effective. These leaders do delegate, but they are actively involved in aspects of the
organization. Authoritarian leaders are perceived as overly critical, which can negatively impact
the perception of discipline within an organization (Puspitassari & Wulandari, 2022).
One action that leaders often take when it comes to disciplining employees is they choose
no action at all. Leonard (2019) spells out that if an organization allows the rules to be
obfuscated by any one employee, resentment can build. Resentment builds especially in those
employees who believe that they are not privy to the preferential treatment that they believe is
being shown to the offending employee. These employees will often leave in search of a more
fair work environment that they perceive will not have the issues of favoritism. Leonard
advocates for a stepped process reminiscent of progressive discipline. Managers should intervene
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at the first instance of policy violations. They then should follow up on continued violations with
verbal or written reprimands. If nothing corrects the behavior, then termination is the final step.
The most important step is equipping managers with the tools to combat early signs of policy
issues (Leonard, 2019).
Discipline does not exist in a vacuum. At smaller agencies, leaders who make discipline
decisions work closely with those they are disciplining. Communication between ranks develops
honesty and closeness. Effective communication reduces discipline, making agencies more
efficient (Fikri Sama et al., 2024). To make an agency more efficient, effective policy and
implementation procedures should be implemented. These policies would include effective
discipline procedures so that employees know how the process is supposed to go. Agencies with
leadership that have established perceived justice within the agency, through proper discipline
policy and procedure, have higher rates of employee morale and well-being (Makatita et al.,
2024).
Public Perception and Oversight of Police Discipline
Police accountability is never far from being front-page talking points in the media.
Internal discipline procedure can bring credibility to an agency or leave it lacking in the eyes of
the public. If not done correctly, the public will feel as though the police are looking out for
themselves and sweeping problems under the rug. If a heavy hand is used to administer police
discipline, the officers themselves may look elsewhere (Walsh & Conway, 2011). Oversight
committees have become an ever-increasing call. These committees create a public-private
partnership when dealing with police discipline. A call for them began after the Rodney King
beating. They were implemented to a varying degree. An increased call came about after George
Floyd was killed while birthing a new wave of police distrust (Keyes & Keyes, 2023).
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Keyes & Keyes (2023) conclude in their review of the last two decades of police
oversight data that oversight needs to go beyond the municipal level. The authors blame the
police culture of being resistant and intolerant of citizen opinion when it comes to oversight
committees. Due to pushback from police, oversight committees have typically only had a
limited scope to investigate police misconduct. Many boards are only authorized a peek behind
the veil when a civilian has alleged an excessive use of force. In other instances, they are given
only a summary of findings of police misconduct from already completed internal affairs
investigations. Rarely are they given the ability to instigate their investigations into misconduct.
If these partnerships are to be as transparent as they aspire to be, more authority should be given
to civilian bodies when it comes to investigating misconduct among the police force (Keyes &
Keyes, 2023).
Gaps in Literature
Some literature exists that discusses progressive discipline explicitly (Agbeyinka, 2024;
Leonard, 2019). Much more literature can be found that discusses the process of progressive
discipline without naming the process (Fikri Sama et al., 2024; Makatita et al., 2024; Mukhalipi,
2018; Puspitasari & Ratn, 2022; Xin et al., 2022). A plurality of sources reference discipline in
organizations that are not specifically public safety organizations. With agencies across the world
embracing progressive discipline policies, more research should be done to understand how
police agencies benefit from progressive discipline policies.
Specific to the problem at hand, more research needs to be done to understand how the
lack of following progressive discipline policies affects an agency. Front-line supervisors hold a
lot of influence and power in a police agency as they manage the rank-and-file officers.
Understanding the impact of an agency that ignores the policy violations of such supervisors
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should be evaluated to fully understand the power of progressive discipline on an agency. If
possible, agencies that can be found that utilize police oversight committees more progressively
should be studied to understand the impact such committees have on the disciplinary process.
Progressive Discipline: Action Plan
The Commerce Police Department has operated without a procedure for proper
progressive discipline. This had led to the continuous out-of-policy actions by one sergeant going
unpunished. With a change in administration, her actions have finally been handled as policy
violations should. The actions against the sergeant only take into consideration her recent policy
violation; the years of previous bad decisions had no bearing, as the new chief wanted to give
everyone a blank slate once he took over. Even though the actions have been punished, it has left
some officers feeling though as something more could have been done. Fleshing out a proper
plan to handle progressive discipline would ensure moving forward, this type of behavior is not
tolerated and handled appropriately.
Action plan
For any agency CEO to push the agency in the direction of their agenda, they need
compliance from the top down. Decisions that are based in fairness through procedural policies
are an important part of obtaining buy-in. Procedural justice is expected by citizens, but it has
also been shown that procedural justice is expected by officers within an agency (Hass et al.,
2015). A progressive discipline policy that the agency administration sticks to and administers
consistently would serve as the procedural justice that is expected by officers within the agency.
A robust progressive discipline would have effects on personnel throughout the agency.
Administration would be expected to make tough disciplinary calls if the policy dictated it.
Middle managers would be expected to reprimand subordinate officers through written or verbal
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warnings that can eventually escalate if the offending officer doesn’t correct their behavior.
Lower-ranked officers would have been held to a higher standard of behavior and work if the
policy were to change. These changes to personnel expectations should be examined before
policy implementation, allowing the agency to set clear expectations and use foresight to prepare
for potential problems.
Administration
Authoritarian, transformational, and servant leadership styles are considered the primary
methods by which an organization can be led. Traits can be mixed and matched, but discipline
must be handled in each style. If handled incorrectly, the organization can be negatively
impacted (Zhao et al., 2022). Hass et al. (2015) and Xin et al. (2022) have stated that if employee
discipline is mishandled, it can lead to distrust within the agency. Mishandling could be heavy-
handedness or a lax attitude toward correcting bad behavior. Police administrations must find the
area where punishment is viewed as fair, impartial, and expected.
Anecdotally, it is my experience that it is hard to change the trajectory of something that
you helped spiral out of control. With the situation at hand for the Commerce Police Department,
the administration seems to be in the best scenario to make real change to the culture towards
discipline. The CEO of the organization would need to meet with administration and middle
managers and lay out the expectations for the agency, including how discipline will be handled
going forward. At first, the administration would need to prepare for pushback from officers who
know that their actions under previous administrations have not been called out.
Administration should be prepared for a backlash from officers, as they may feel that the
administration no longer has their backs and is just looking for ways to punish them. This
backlash could lead to a phenomenon known as “Blue Flu” that has been reported on for over
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five decades. (Ichiowski, 1981). If a blue flu were to occur, the administration would need to be
prepared for a lack of productivity and an unwillingness to go the extra mile at work. Just as a
parent does not need to give a tantrum-throwing child their way, they would need to stand firm
and maintain the policy of progressive discipline. Once officers realize that there is a procedural
method in which discipline is given, then they are likely to come back in the fold and become
productive members of the organization.
Middle-Management
Middle management is critically important to any agency, as they supervise the most
people. (Wexler, 2018). They are the ones who will take the wishes of the chief and put them in
action as they go out every day and interact with the public. Middle managers, in the case of a
police department, are sergeants and corporals, who are important change agents. They are where
initiatives from the CEO can take off or fall apart. Middle managers are the next wave of
administrators and need to be given the ability to flex their interpersonal creativity in getting new
changes to take root (Rohifer et al., 2022).
With the research in mind, middle management needs to be empowered to act against
policy violations. If a subordinate violates a policy on shift that is minor and is a first offense,
they should be able to issue a verbal reprimand or a written reprimand. This should be
documented and sent up the chain of command for final approval before being placed in the
employee file. An effective discipline policy should outline the types of violations that can be
handled at this level. Issues such as tardiness or uniform violations may warrant verbal
counseling. Issues related to discourtesy to the public or smaller officer safety problems should
be handled with written warnings. More serious issues will need to be documented by front-line
supervisors, but will need to be handled disciplinarily through the administration.
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A hurdle that would need to be cleared by sergeants and corporals is one of interpersonal
relationships. These front-line supervisors often feel like they are one with their shift mates in an
us against them (administration) mentality. If this attitude is not addressed, then effective
progressive discipline at the line level will not be possible. Sergeants and corporals will need to
portray discipline to keep upper management out of shift-level issues. If their subordinate
officers understand this concept and respect their supervisor, they may clean their act up
preemptively as not to put their shift mate/supervisor in a position that gets upper administration
involved.
Officers
Police agency personnel at this level are the agency's least experienced personnel. They
are not privy to the inner workings of a department. Fresh out of the academy, officers are also
not overly concerned with the intricacies of progressive discipline. The onset of disciplinary
issues varies from officer to officer. Officers who had poor academy performances were found to
have early misconduct issues in their careers. If an officer has a college degree, they are less
likely to have misconduct issues. Those officers who are in certain patrol zones also have higher
rates of misconduct (Harris, 2014). These are all good factors to know because they allow the
administration to understand the probability of certain officers having disciplinary issues.
Administrations should not preemptively punish these officers who fall under these categories.
They should instead be wary and develop a good policy that allows these officers’ supervisors to
handle minor issues.
Officers at this level have no power to discipline. They are only capable of being the
subject of discipline. This is why it is important to get agency buy-in for the mission of the chief
from all employees. If the agency is aimless and there is no feeling of working for a common
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PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE: ACTION PLAN
goal, then officers are not going to buy in. If officers feel they are a part of a team that is working
together toward something, they are more likely to fall in line with agency policy. An issue that
can creep in is that a us vs. them mentality can form, pitting the administration against the rest of
the department. Officers who feel this way are more likely to violate policy and should be
handled with progressive discipline to bring them back to center.
If officers at this level feel as though some within the agency are getting away with
policy violations, they will become discouraged. A discouraged workforce is an unproductive
one. If they become disengaged, they are less likely to participate in proactive policing and
effective community relations. This, in and of itself, is not a policy violation, but it will hurt the
agency. Administration developing a fair policy that they stick with will keep good officers
engaged with the agency. Agency policy should be all-encompassing to include code of conduct
instructions that disallow the spreading of rumors and discontent within an agency. The caveat to
this is that a bad agency will not be able to police out this type of behavior. A good agency can
use such a policy, consistent with progressive discipline, to keep officers with good attitudes and
work behaviors.
Biblical Perspective
Church discipline, as outlined in Matthew 18, is rooted in progressive discipline. This
example is given by Jesus to his disciples. Just as progressive discipline starts at a low level so
does church discipline. Jesus first tells the disciples that if someone needs correcting from sin,
they should be directly confronted. If more intervention is needed, then a witness needs to be
brought in. If that does not work, then they are to be brought in front of the church and
confronted. The final course of action, if all else has failed, is to remove them from the church
(Christian Standard Bible, 2017). This process is all about redemption and bringing someone
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PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE: ACTION PLAN
who is doing wrong back to the center. Progressive discipline policies aspire to have the same
outcome. Wayward employees who violate policy are given opportunities to correct themselves
and to rejoin the group. An important part of discipline is being bold and challenging those who
are out of line. In Matthew 16, Peter, the “rock of the church”, was put in his place when he
became a hindrance to Jesus. Leadership needs to be bold enough to correct those who are
normally productive members of the group. Equal treatment of policy violators is a critical step
in obtaining organizational justice.
Conclusion
Disciplinary policy and procedure are a critical area that must be addressed if an agency
is to be considered successful. Progressive discipline is a tiered strategy that seeks to start
officers with minor infractions at the lowest stage of correction. As infractions continue, or more
serious ones occur, discipline is escalated up the chain of command, who will typically
administer harsher corrective actions. Officers are part of a justice system that relies on
procedural justice. This same type of justice needs to be utilized within agencies to ensure
outcomes that are seen as fair and impartial. Just as the justice system has changed over the years
to bring wayward citizens back to society, so have disciplinary expectations of personnel.
Progressive discipline seeks to address this change. When officers feel they are subject to
unevenly applied discipline, they will become disenfranchised with the agency, which harms the
entire agency. Progressive discipline works best when line-level supervisors are empowered to
handle issues involving subordinate officers. Agencies that understand that discipline does not
have to be a scary topic will adjust their policies accordingly and be better off for it.
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