Transactional Leadership In The New York Police Department

Policing has come a long way from the days of when the New York Police Department was formed in 1845. At that time, there was no existing law enforcement profession. Many of the patrol officers had a limited education, little legal knowledge, and often used excessive force on criminals. Police officers primary responsibility at that time was patrolling neighborhoods, armed with only a baton, and with little guidance from the departments' leadership. Due to limited supervision by their supervisors, police officers could often be found at local bars and restaurants, eating, drinking, and socializing with community members, instead of being out patrolling. At that time, police officers were seen as figures with the only roles of providing neighborhood security and going after criminals.

In modern times, the role of a police officer has transformed drastically.

Instead of just providing neighborhood security,crime prevention, and responding to calls for service, officers must also develop good relationships with the residents that they serve, mentor youth, and collaborate with communities to identify the specific problems facing their neighborhoods. In order to complete this transition, the law enforcement community in the U.S. had to incorporate models of leadership and develop standards that show accountability, ethics, integrity, professionalism, and trust.
Transactional leadership is a model that has been adopted by many law enforcement agencies in recent decades. Under the transactional leadership model, officers have limited power in making their own decisions, and usually have to go through their supervisors for approval. This can be attributed to the paramilitary structured organization that many departments exhibit. Due to the critical situations that officers often find themselves in, this can be a risky model for departments to implement. This model also takes away from the power that officers have in regards to

discretion.
Transformational leadership is another model that has been seen in recent decades, under this model, officers are inspired to make decisions that emulate the departments' values. Leaders in departments that use this leadership model, are persuaded to have their subordinates think alike when making tough decisions. The only issue with this, is that every not officer is a leader, and it's impossible for every individual in a department to possess the ethical, moral, and operational knowledge needed to make some of the tough decisions that officers often have to make. This has led to issues, such as officers believing that they'll be blamed for making a mistake by their superiors.
One model of leadership that has become quite popular throughout the law enforcement community in recent times is the dispersed leadership model. The primary factor in agencies using this model is the fact that this model allows police officers to make decisions on their own. Most officers in the U.S. often find themselves patrolling alone, and in many circumstances, they have to make quick decisions without going through their chain of command. This model supports departments developing leaders that will back officers at the lowest level when it comes to making appropriate decisions.
Overall, after having conducted an analysis of these three leadership models, I think the dispersed leadership model is the best fit for the 21st century. This model allows officers the ability to conduct desecration on their own behalf, and also allows officers to make quick decisions in high risk situations. Still, no leadership model is perfect, and departments will need to administer a strategy that incorporates accountability, ethics, integrity, professionalism, and trust in order to achieve success.