As the new chief of police, I would deal with one problem at a time. Since the problem of sexual harassment is so prevalent, I would make sexual harassment courses mandatory for the entire force. Many companies have a grievance policy for sexual harassment cases. The grievance procedure. Personnel professionals had established grievance procedures in union negotiations after the passage of the Wagner Act of 1935 (Dobbin and Kelly,2007). Anyone accused of harassment would be out under investigation and temporary suspension. Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (40 FEP 1822, 477 U.S. 57 [1986]), the Supreme Court defined “hostile environment” harassment as illegal in, Catharine MacKinnon case of 1979 (Dobbin and Kelly,2007). I would try to partner female cops with other female officers if possible. Male officers would only be partnered with men. I would also make the officers wear body cameras while on duty. The officers under investigation would not be allowed to come back until the internal investigation was complete. Any officer unwilling to complete the course would be fired automatically. In Miller v. the Department of corrections, California Supreme Court ruled that consensual workplace relationship favoritism can cause sexual harassment of the unfavored employees (Fletcher,2006). I would enforce a zero- tolerance policy on sexual harassment. Any violation of this policy would be subject to termination and criminal charges.
The first thing I would do is change management. This is defined as the development of an overall strategy, which examines the present state of the organization and devises the means of moving from one to another (Miller et al.,2018). I would also try to hire new officers and put them through a tough ring of test to prove their loyalty. Each of the new officers would have to pass a lie detector test. I would implement a participatory style leadership. This is when everyone has a voice in decisions, but the management still makes the decisions (Miller et al.,2018). This method would be effective because the force would feel included. Then someone who is being sexually harassed wouldn’t be afraid to speak up. Many women are afraid to come forward in a male dominated profession. I would also try to hire a more diverse combination of officers. Since the issuance of Executive Order 13583 (2011)—Establishing a Coordinated Government-Wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce—many federal agencies have created diversity and inclusion councils to identify and remove barriers to equal employment opportunity while engendering a culture of inclusion (Yu & Lee,2020). The type of sexual harassment that is happening in this department is considered a hostile environment (Bardes, Shelley, & Schmidt,2020). Human resources would be required to hire an equal ratio of ethnicities.
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The issue of abusing sick and annual leave to call off would come to a halt. When an officer calls in sick a doctor’s excuse would be mandatory if they are already scheduled. Any officer that did not have a doctor’s excuse would be suspended without pay. The second occurrence would be grounds for dismissal. Their vacation time would have to be requested in advance and approved by management. There is paid leave in most departments for women if they are expecting so that would be implied. This is the only exception of time off that wouldn’t have to be requested. This police force needs to be decentralized from the top. My next step as sheriff would be to decentralize the entire department. This is a method is defined as when a patrol officer is given new responsibilities and empowered to make decisions with their community partners (Miller et.al,2018). The ability of the officers to feel connected to the community could help the people trust cops in more situations.
The officers exercising their freedom of speech with no regard for the department’s reputation would be demoted on the first time. I would implement a code of conduct that each officer would have to sign to adhere to. Every officer should be professional and courteous while on the job. The approach of how an officer treats a situation can be the difference between life and death. A suspect could also bring charges against the department because of an officer’s conduct.
My next step as sheriff would be to decentralize the entire department. This is a method is defined as when a patrol officer is given new responsibilities and empowered to make decisions with their community partners (Miller et.al,2018). Another solution for this is community policing. This is a collaborative effort featuring trusted citizens and police working together to come up with a plan to fight crime and improve the community (Miller et al.,2018). The ideas of this partnership may be more goal oriented towards the community. Some officers may be opposed to the idea. Community policing helps build a comradery between the officers and the people. I would also offer higher pay for officers with a criminal justice degree to attract better employees.
The department has a not been following federal mandates with employees. The failure to adhere to some of these standards could mean the loss of federal funding. The FMLA act is a perfect example. Some women may quit if the department isn’t allowing time off for maternity leave. This could also cause lawsuits for discrimination because pregnancy is a vital reason to have paid time off to heal. Human resources would have to make sure the FMLA act was in the officers’ contract. The department disregarding federal regulations like the ADA and the FMLA could lose funding from the state. The department funding helps pay for uniforms and equipment. This may also include medical insurance for officers. Every officer that is hired would be given a copy of their rights as an employee. This would include the guidelines of the ADA, FLMA, and EOE. These are all organizations that provide funding through the government. Federal funding is what also provides pay for overtime for officers. The violation of federal policy could cause them to have funding cut. The police department can also be sued for not following the federal employment guidelines. There are federal grants that provide community coalitions to support the fight of substance abuse in youth (Miller et., al 2018). The loss of federal funding could leave the department without essential supplies for protection in a dangerous situation.
Reference
- Bardes, B. A., Shelley, M. C., & Schmidt, S. W. (2020). American government and politics today: the essentials. Boston: Cengage.
- Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. L. (2007). How to Stop Harassment: Professional Construction of Legal Compliance in Organizations. American Journal of Sociology, 112(4), 1203–1243
- Fletcher, C. J. (2006). Are You Simply Sleeping Your Way to the Top or Creating an Actionable Hostile Work Environment?: A Critique of Miller V. Department of Corrections in the Title Vii Context. St. John’s Law Review, 80(4), 1361–1399.
- Miller, L. S., Hess Kären M., & Orthmann, C. M. H. (2018). Community policing: partnerships for problem solving. Australia; Brazil; Mexico; Singapore; United Kingdom; United States: Cengage Learning.
- Yu, H. H., & Lee, D. (2019). Gender and Public Organization: A Quasi-Experimental Examination of Inclusion on Experiencing and Reporting Wrongful Behavior in the Workplace. Public Personnel Management, 009102601983619.
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