Stripes and Bars AMAURY MURGADO
THE RADAR FUNCTIONS OF A SUPERVISOR You're responsible for noticing early warning signs of deeper problems your officers may be suffering from. OF THE MANY ROLES A SUPERVISOR HAS TO FULFILL, one ance and hygiene, or talks about getting his affairs in order, of the most important is acting like a radar. In addition to it's probably a sign of depression or suicidal thoughts. focusing on operational tempo and situational awareness, If she has prolonged or frequent disappearances, missed all supervisors need to be cognizant of the human condition deadlines, erratic behavior, or a sudden increase in jobinvolved in their command, and this includes noticing early related injuries, these signs may signal substance abuse. warning signs of problems such as substance abuse or de- Working late into the night without cause, shaving or brushpression evident in an officer's behavior. ing teeth in the office restroom, falling asleep at their desk, Let's face it; there is a huge list of stressors that affect law or sudden disengagement from coworkers point to personal enforcement every day. For example, the problem of ever- issues at home. shrinking budgets which forces us to do more with less. Pay The list can go on and on but you get the point. Changes raises, if any, rarely keep in step with inflation and cause eco- in an otherwise normal pattern of behavior are indicative nomic stress. The constant playing with retirement programs of a problem that may require you to intervene. How you as if it were a sin to spend 30 years sacrificing for the public respond is based in part on your agency's policy and progood and expect something in return. Finally, and what I feel cedure. A best practice involves more common sense than the most important, there's the stress that comes from the anything else. Start by pulling the officer aside and, in a current trend to vilify all law enforceenvironment, ask, "Is IF AN OFFICER HAS GONE one-on-one ment for the bad conduct of a few. everything OK?" A sincere gesture of We are no different than anyone else FROM A GO-GETTER TO A concern might open the door for you except for the type of decisions we have NO-GETTER, FIND OUT WHY. to get at the root of what's going on. to make. Because we face the same triThis is not so much a how-to guide, als and tribulations, we are subject to but more of a primer on the importhe same perils and pitfalls that help create collateral dam- tance of what to look for. The point I want to drive home is age. The only hope we have is to be very aware of warning that supervisors need to be aware and constantly be looking signs and emerging patterns so we can mitigate issues early. for signs and patterns of a possible problem. Ignoring them One of the keys is being keenly aware of changes in behav- or creating any unnecessary delays will not make them go ior and the accompanying work product. Most problems don't away. surface overnight but will be noticeable over an extended peMany of us know someone who has fallen into one of these riod of time, creating a pattern. If you find that an officer has traps and has paid the price with a divorce, being terminatgone from a go-getter to a no-getter, it is time to find out why. ed, or worse, committed suicide. In each and every case that In general, warning signs include employees who turn I was aware of, the signs were all there. Some of us ignore the down responsibility or show a lack of accountability for their signs and try to take comfort by hiding behind the statement work. Look at officers who suddenly show a pattern of be- it was not our place to get involved. I am not afraid to admit ing late or start having frequent absences. If they are taking that I have tried to help and sometimes failed. But I can also extended breaks, lunches, or put blinders on toward the end say if I knew about it, I tried to do something, even if it was of their shifts, they are also worth looking into. The most ob- just making the right person aware of the situation. vious signs are the ones that display a sudden bad attitude. As a supervisor, your subordinates should always be on These officers can't see anything good in the office. Hand your radar. If you are not willing to look out for them, then them a raise, new car, and choice of assignment, and they you have no business being a supervisor. Helping people is will still find something to complain about. what we do. Other signs to look for include yelling, using harsh language, and reverting to bullying. Officers who display these Amaury Murgado is a special operations lieutenant with the behaviors are the people who always seem to have some- Osceola County (FL) Sheriff's Office. He has over 29 years of thing eating away at them and never stop being angry. If law enforcement experience, is a retired master sergeant from your subordinate starts to isolate himself from others, ex- the Army Reserve, and holds a Master of Political Science depresses feelings that life is meaningless, neglects appear- gree from the University of Central Florida.
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POLICE DECEMBER 2015