book review

Leading the Small Police Department 2

Book Review: Leading the Small Police Department

Charles C Thomas Publisher, Ltd. 2023

by Gerald W Garner

Assignment # 1

By:____________

May 8, 2023

A E cx

Introduction

This review is a critical analysis of Gerald W Garner’s book, Leading the Small Police Department (2023). The author’s five decades of experience in all levels of the police department’s hierarchy is easily recognizable throughout his work. The book is divided into 18 chapters covering the primary responsibilities of a law enforcement chief with practical advice for both the beginner and experienced leader. There are very specific procedures outlined as well as several conceptual themes that overlap throughout the work. The nature of the US law enforcement profession has created many autonomous agencies throughout the country and some of the author’s tactics may be effective at some agencies, however, they also may have the potential to be unproductive at others. Ultimately, all of the procedures and concepts are discussed with the consideration of the police chief’s position as a singular, visible, and exposed element within the criminal justice system. Therefore, the book is written with the understanding that the chief is responsible for the sworn and civilian staff, answers to the community and the city commissioners (their boss), and is influenced by all of the other components of the system (i.e. state attorneys, judges, neighboring agencies, etc).

Critical Analysis

Day to day operations

The author takes the reader step-by-step from the on-boarding of a newly minted chief/leader to retirement. He provides guidance on specific jobs tasks of a leader with several strategies and tactics to accomplish those tasks. The starting point of the process requires a chief to recognize and understand the things that need to be changed, maintained, and/or strengthened in the department. The police chief must create relationships and ensure the optimal functioning of the department. Garner (2023) describes many of the human resource management necessities such as recruiting, updating policy and procedures, performance evaluations, discipline and resource allocation. Although this is not a motivational or conceptual book, he frequently addresses the reader as a mentor, encouraging their success.

The author does provide specific jobs task and a pathway to accomplish those tasks. Following that guidance can makes the individual a strong supervisor, but it does not necessarily create a leader. However, the author presents many themes that can be extrapolated while progressing through each chapter, which can also create a good leader. A supervisor is responsible for an organization’s goals and is outcome focused, solving problems and ensuring the functioning of the system. A leader on the other hand also inspires, encouraging the individual(s) or team to strive for success (Postdoc Academy, n.d.). Although most of the leadership’s themes do not have a designated chapter, they are present in various discussions throughout the book.

The first recognizable theme, which is one of the most fundamental principles of policing, is to actively listen. The first step after securing a police chief position is to fully grasp the functioning and uniqueness of the department. This entails understanding the driving forces of the system, specifically including the sworn and civilian staff, the community, the state attorneys, the judges, neighboring agencies, the city commissioners, etc. (Garner, 2023). This is a leader’s cornerstone principle throughout their tenure, but the information gathering process in the beginning is extremely valuable to establish a baseline starting point from which to guide the progression of the agency from where they are to where they need to go.

The author does discuss reasonable tactics for this information gather process, specifically advising to establish meetings with the various stakeholders and participants. However, he also states “You can push your information-gathering even farther if you ask your leadership staff to put their observations in writing” (Garner, 2023). This may have value to ensure commitment from other leadership in the organization, although, this may also be viewed as a set-up by already cynical police officers, especially if it is a department that has had previous internal mistrust.

The second theme is communication. Active listening is one direction, in which information flows from the speaker to the listener. Communication, on the other hand is bi-directional, in which information flows in both directions. After the new chief gathers’ information, he/she must then clearly state the mission and provide guidance on what is expected in order to complete that mission. The leader must also be able to effectively communicate with all other parts of the system (i.e. city commission, state attorneys, other agencies, etc.) and express their vision and goals for the agency.

Ultimately, active listening and communication is careful and purposeful to gather information to make sound decisions. Those decisions then accurately portray a competent and confident leader, not just a supervisor. This is an attempt to manipulate the department and the personal; however, it is not done with malice or for personal gains, but for the benefit of all that are impacted by the leader’s decisions. To make those decisions for the greater good, the individual leader must also possess several other leadership qualities such as integrity, honesty, and trust.

The author does not go into depth of how to develop these qualities, however, they are conferred as actions over a period of time based on that person’s character, behavior, and decisions. The author does describe being fair to all of the individuals in the system, being cautious about making promises or doing favors that may jeopardize their integrity, or get involved in the dirty politics (although there must be an understanding and interaction with the political elements).

The hard days and the hard decisions

Some of the greatest failures in the most recent hardships of the law enforcement profession are when a supervisor folds under public and political pressure after a critical incident. The police chief has several options in those circumstances in which they can either sacrifice that member of their department, retire (to “spend more time with family”) leaving the agency (and officers) to fend for itself, or be a true leader. The author does designate an entire chapter titled “when bad stuff happens” (Garner, 2023). There are many pros and cons to having autonomous police agencies across the country, however, on of the most influential cons is that there is no unified voice to explain and support a small-town police officer’s action that resulted in a national and political narrative. This results in a small-town chief being on his/her own in the spotlight in front of a national audience.

These circumstances require several primary leadership qualities that the author discusses including fairness, courage, stoicism, visibility and loyalty (Garner, 2023). The author describes the procedural process in addressing a critical incident which requires careful objective examination of the incident. The officers’ responses must be evaluated based on many factors specifically, statutes, case laws, and policy and procedures. These are then overlain with the officers training, experience, environmental, and suspect factors, in order to determine the reasonableness of the officers’ response. The author effectively explains the internal affairs process, including officers bill of rights and Garrity protections. This process must also be balanced with keeping the community, the news, and the chief’s bosses appropriately informed without compromising the processes, the officers’ rights and mental well-being, and the agency’s functioning.

There can be a spectrum of seriousness and liability of agency/officers’ responses during a critical incident. This liability can range from gross negligence and malice, to human factors and training failures. If there was malice, unethical, and illegal responses form the officers, the appropriate discipline is straight forward, which is commonly termination of employment and criminal charges. This is followed by agency transparency to the community and media and an explanation of events and consequences.

The test of the leader, and the above-mentioned qualities, is when the officers’ responses appeared to be excessive (or perceived as the not the best response option), but was actually within the criminal justice standards of objectively reasonable and there is still national scrutiny condemning the officers’ actions. The leader must be visible to the community, speak for their officers with an accurate and clear assessment of the incident. This is also an expression of loyalty and honesty to his/her officers, the community and to the functioning of the system (Garner, 2023). The law enforcement professional must maintain courage, emotional control and stoicism during many situations that may result in physical injury or death; however, the police chief must have those same characteristics in the face of an equally intimidating opponent, public criticism.

Conclusion

Throughout this book the author provides clear instructions of many of the operations required to lead a police department. There are specific directions and areas that need to be addressed, such as recruiting, maintaining a positive work environment for both sworn and civilian employees, department organization, discipline, handling politics and media, and retiring the honorable way. The author also warns when determining the areas of the department that need to be changed, to be slow and gradual, if possible, because extreme changes may be resisted and possibly interpreted as agency incompetence. (Garner, 2023). Garner (2023), also references many leadership concepts and qualities while discussing the various practical components of running a police department. Honesty, integrity, courage, loyalty, confidence and communication are integrated throughout all of the chapters as the underlying characteristics of a true leader that makes the best decisions for their agency and community.

Although the author discusses the qualities of a leader and how a leader behaves, one weakness of the book is a lack of a discussion of how to actually gain and/or cultivate those characteristics. For example, chapters dedicated to identifying personal strengths and weakness, understanding leadership styles, and dedicating time to enhance specific leadership skills, could be beneficial to the new leader (Coursera Enterprise, 2025).

I believe this book effectively outlines the job tasks, procedures to accomplish those tasks, and many qualities that make a leader as well as a supervisor. I believe this book would mostly benefit the individuals on the front lines (i.e. patrol officers, detectives, etc.) and middle management position that are considering continued advancement through the ranks. Those in high-ranking positions should have experienced most of the topics and concepts discussed, and already discovered the strategies needed to navigate these processes. Overall, this book is a good summary of the necessary skills and characteristics to be a good police chief in a small town.

References

Coursera Enterprise (2025). 8 Tips for Developing your Leadership Skills. 8 Tips for Developing Your Leadership Skills | Coursera

Garner, G. W., (2023). Leading the Small Police Department. Charles C Thomas Publisher, Ltd. Leading the Small Police Department - EBSCO

Postdoc Academy (n.d). Comparing a Leader, a Mentor, and a Supervisor. Comparing-Leader-Mentor-and-Supervisor-table.pdf

Leading the Small Police Department 2

Book Review: Leading the Small Police Department

Charles C Thomas Publisher, Ltd. 2023

by Gerald W Garner

Assignment # 1

By:____________

May 8, 2023

A E cx

Introduction

This review is a critical analysis of Gerald W Garner’s book, Leading the Small Police Department (2023). The author’s five decades of experience in all levels of the police department’s hierarchy is easily recognizable throughout his work. The book is divided into 18 chapters covering the primary responsibilities of a law enforcement chief with practical advice for both the beginner and experienced leader. There are very specific procedures outlined as well as several conceptual themes that overlap throughout the work. The nature of the US law enforcement profession has created many autonomous agencies throughout the country and some of the author’s tactics may be effective at some agencies, however, they also may have the potential to be unproductive at others. Ultimately, all of the procedures and concepts are discussed with the consideration of the police chief’s position as a singular, visible, and exposed element within the criminal justice system. Therefore, the book is written with the understanding that the chief is responsible for the sworn and civilian staff, answers to the community and the city commissioners (their boss), and is influenced by all of the other components of the system (i.e. state attorneys, judges, neighboring agencies, etc).

Critical Analysis

Day to day operations

The author takes the reader step-by-step from the on-boarding of a newly minted chief/leader to retirement. He provides guidance on specific jobs tasks of a leader with several strategies and tactics to accomplish those tasks. The starting point of the process requires a chief to recognize and understand the things that need to be changed, maintained, and/or strengthened in the department. The police chief must create relationships and ensure the optimal functioning of the department. Garner (2023) describes many of the human resource management necessities such as recruiting, updating policy and procedures, performance evaluations, discipline and resource allocation. Although this is not a motivational or conceptual book, he frequently addresses the reader as a mentor, encouraging their success.

The author does provide specific jobs task and a pathway to accomplish those tasks. Following that guidance can makes the individual a strong supervisor, but it does not necessarily create a leader. However, the author presents many themes that can be extrapolated while progressing through each chapter, which can also create a good leader. A supervisor is responsible for an organization’s goals and is outcome focused, solving problems and ensuring the functioning of the system. A leader on the other hand also inspires, encouraging the individual(s) or team to strive for success (Postdoc Academy, n.d.). Although most of the leadership’s themes do not have a designated chapter, they are present in various discussions throughout the book.

The first recognizable theme, which is one of the most fundamental principles of policing, is to actively listen. The first step after securing a police chief position is to fully grasp the functioning and uniqueness of the department. This entails understanding the driving forces of the system, specifically including the sworn and civilian staff, the community, the state attorneys, the judges, neighboring agencies, the city commissioners, etc. (Garner, 2023). This is a leader’s cornerstone principle throughout their tenure, but the information gathering process in the beginning is extremely valuable to establish a baseline starting point from which to guide the progression of the agency from where they are to where they need to go.

The author does discuss reasonable tactics for this information gather process, specifically advising to establish meetings with the various stakeholders and participants. However, he also states “You can push your information-gathering even farther if you ask your leadership staff to put their observations in writing” (Garner, 2023). This may have value to ensure commitment from other leadership in the organization, although, this may also be viewed as a set-up by already cynical police officers, especially if it is a department that has had previous internal mistrust.

The second theme is communication. Active listening is one direction, in which information flows from the speaker to the listener. Communication, on the other hand is bi-directional, in which information flows in both directions. After the new chief gathers’ information, he/she must then clearly state the mission and provide guidance on what is expected in order to complete that mission. The leader must also be able to effectively communicate with all other parts of the system (i.e. city commission, state attorneys, other agencies, etc.) and express their vision and goals for the agency.

Ultimately, active listening and communication is careful and purposeful to gather information to make sound decisions. Those decisions then accurately portray a competent and confident leader, not just a supervisor. This is an attempt to manipulate the department and the personal; however, it is not done with malice or for personal gains, but for the benefit of all that are impacted by the leader’s decisions. To make those decisions for the greater good, the individual leader must also possess several other leadership qualities such as integrity, honesty, and trust.

The author does not go into depth of how to develop these qualities, however, they are conferred as actions over a period of time based on that person’s character, behavior, and decisions. The author does describe being fair to all of the individuals in the system, being cautious about making promises or doing favors that may jeopardize their integrity, or get involved in the dirty politics (although there must be an understanding and interaction with the political elements).

The hard days and the hard decisions

Some of the greatest failures in the most recent hardships of the law enforcement profession are when a supervisor folds under public and political pressure after a critical incident. The police chief has several options in those circumstances in which they can either sacrifice that member of their department, retire (to “spend more time with family”) leaving the agency (and officers) to fend for itself, or be a true leader. The author does designate an entire chapter titled “when bad stuff happens” (Garner, 2023). There are many pros and cons to having autonomous police agencies across the country, however, on of the most influential cons is that there is no unified voice to explain and support a small-town police officer’s action that resulted in a national and political narrative. This results in a small-town chief being on his/her own in the spotlight in front of a national audience.

These circumstances require several primary leadership qualities that the author discusses including fairness, courage, stoicism, visibility and loyalty (Garner, 2023). The author describes the procedural process in addressing a critical incident which requires careful objective examination of the incident. The officers’ responses must be evaluated based on many factors specifically, statutes, case laws, and policy and procedures. These are then overlain with the officers training, experience, environmental, and suspect factors, in order to determine the reasonableness of the officers’ response. The author effectively explains the internal affairs process, including officers bill of rights and Garrity protections. This process must also be balanced with keeping the community, the news, and the chief’s bosses appropriately informed without compromising the processes, the officers’ rights and mental well-being, and the agency’s functioning.

There can be a spectrum of seriousness and liability of agency/officers’ responses during a critical incident. This liability can range from gross negligence and malice, to human factors and training failures. If there was malice, unethical, and illegal responses form the officers, the appropriate discipline is straight forward, which is commonly termination of employment and criminal charges. This is followed by agency transparency to the community and media and an explanation of events and consequences.

The test of the leader, and the above-mentioned qualities, is when the officers’ responses appeared to be excessive (or perceived as the not the best response option), but was actually within the criminal justice standards of objectively reasonable and there is still national scrutiny condemning the officers’ actions. The leader must be visible to the community, speak for their officers with an accurate and clear assessment of the incident. This is also an expression of loyalty and honesty to his/her officers, the community and to the functioning of the system (Garner, 2023). The law enforcement professional must maintain courage, emotional control and stoicism during many situations that may result in physical injury or death; however, the police chief must have those same characteristics in the face of an equally intimidating opponent, public criticism.

Conclusion

Throughout this book the author provides clear instructions of many of the operations required to lead a police department. There are specific directions and areas that need to be addressed, such as recruiting, maintaining a positive work environment for both sworn and civilian employees, department organization, discipline, handling politics and media, and retiring the honorable way. The author also warns when determining the areas of the department that need to be changed, to be slow and gradual, if possible, because extreme changes may be resisted and possibly interpreted as agency incompetence. (Garner, 2023). Garner (2023), also references many leadership concepts and qualities while discussing the various practical components of running a police department. Honesty, integrity, courage, loyalty, confidence and communication are integrated throughout all of the chapters as the underlying characteristics of a true leader that makes the best decisions for their agency and community.

Although the author discusses the qualities of a leader and how a leader behaves, one weakness of the book is a lack of a discussion of how to actually gain and/or cultivate those characteristics. For example, chapters dedicated to identifying personal strengths and weakness, understanding leadership styles, and dedicating time to enhance specific leadership skills, could be beneficial to the new leader (Coursera Enterprise, 2025).

I believe this book effectively outlines the job tasks, procedures to accomplish those tasks, and many qualities that make a leader as well as a supervisor. I believe this book would mostly benefit the individuals on the front lines (i.e. patrol officers, detectives, etc.) and middle management position that are considering continued advancement through the ranks. Those in high-ranking positions should have experienced most of the topics and concepts discussed, and already discovered the strategies needed to navigate these processes. Overall, this book is a good summary of the necessary skills and characteristics to be a good police chief in a small town.

References

Coursera Enterprise (2025). 8 Tips for Developing your Leadership Skills. 8 Tips for Developing Your Leadership Skills | Coursera

Garner, G. W., (2023). Leading the Small Police Department. Charles C Thomas Publisher, Ltd. Leading the Small Police Department - EBSCO

Postdoc Academy (n.d). Comparing a Leader, a Mentor, and a Supervisor. Comparing-Leader-Mentor-and-Supervisor-table.pdf