During my 54 years in the business, I have watched officers rocket from rookie status to the top of their organizations.
I have also seen officers self-destruct, losing their careers or retiring in virtually the same spot where they started 20 years earlier.
Not infrequently, these officers attribute their situation to “politics.” That can happen, and when it does, it represents a grave injustice. But many times, what an officer calls “politics” is actually the result of persistently problematic behavior.
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Some of the most frequently encountered ways officers derail their careers include the following 10 behaviors:
1. Being insubordinate or lying to your boss
In law enforcement, the most serious “offense” you can commit short of a criminal act is insubordination. Doing something you were expressly told not to do — or failing to do something you were directed to do — is clearly insubordination. So is verbally attacking your boss, especially in front of others. Lying to your supervisor also qualifies, including lying by omission. You may survive a single act of gross insubordination, but it’s doubtful your career will continue if you turn it into a habit.
2. Displaying cowardice
Law enforcement officers expect their colleagues to run toward danger when required, not away from it. Officers have little patience for the peer who is somehow always unavailable when a dicey call goes down. They need to know the person in the next beat will have their back when danger threatens. An officer with a reputation for cowardice is unlikely to remain employed in a professional law enforcement organization.
3. Never doing your share of the work
The individual who hides when there is work to be done will eventually earn the dislike and distrust of colleagues. Sooner or later supervision will become aware of the problem. That officer is unlikely to see advancement in the agency — if he or she can retain a job at all.
4. Embarrassing your employer
There are many ways to do that. Engaging in illegal or immoral activity on or off duty will do it. So will posting felony-level dumb comments or photos on social media. Being involved in a high-profile scandal — especially one involving sexual indiscretion — will do it, too. Like it or not, police officers truly do reside in glass houses, and there is almost always somebody with a camera standing on the front porch.
5. Repeatedly and loudly second-guessing other officers’ decisions
Many people don’t care for a know-it-all Monday morning quarterback — and officers are no exception. Constantly criticizing what others have decided or done is a good way to develop few friends and plenty of enemies. The practice is guaranteed to dampen anyone’s law enforcement career.
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6. Consistently displaying poor judgment or a lack of common sense
Everyone makes mistakes or bad decisions. But making a habit of them will make it harder to achieve the career you hoped for. Chasing a traffic violator at 100 mph through downtown traffic at noon qualifies as poor judgment. Verbally baiting a drunken brawler into resisting arrest shows a lack of common sense. To put it bluntly: don’t do stupid.
7. Publicly disparaging your organization and its leadership
Yes, you have a right to express your opinions — in the right way and at the right time. But jumping on social media to damn your boss and ridicule your peers rarely ends well. The same fate likely awaits if you spend every social event criticizing the organization you work for. After all, it’s your organization, too.
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8. Repeatedly engaging in reckless or dangerous behavior
Law enforcement organizations worry a lot about the safety of their people and the citizens they serve. They are also concerned about civil liability. If you are in the habit of operating your police vehicle like a maniac on speed or practicing “Tombstone Courage” in your approach to officer safety, you are unlikely to remain employed for long — assuming you are still alive.
9. Being where you shouldn’t be doing what you shouldn’t be doing
A rowdy bar at closing time provides a good example of this one, especially if you can count on a nightly brawl breaking out there. Being behind the wheel of your personal vehicle after you’ve had a snootful is another. And having a yelling cuss fight with your significant other in a family restaurant offers yet one more. Once again, the exercise of your good common sense should prevent any of these events from ever befalling you.
10. Being involved in internal plots, intrigue or drama
Drama. What would a law enforcement agency be without it? The problem for you arises if your name rises to the top virtually every time intrigue of some sort disrupts the operations of your agency. Eventually, the top leadership of your department will tire of the tumult and your role in it. That is unlikely to provide a boost to your career. The solution for you? Focus on your job and leave the drama to others.
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Career-boosting actions
You often can recover from a big mistake, or even a series of them. But recovering means that you learn from the experience and do not repeat it. Law enforcement leaders watch carefully how an officer handles the aftermath of a misstep, especially when it involves discipline. Your resulting actions can even end up benefiting your career. You have demonstrated that you can handle adversity.
It is good news that you can recover from a career pratfall. But it is better if you don’t have to climb back following a plunge at all. You instead want to concentrate on career-boosting actions. Ten of those include the following:
1. Don’t be afraid to volunteer
Your grandpa may have told you, based upon his conscripted military experience: “Never volunteer for ‘nuthin.’” That won’t work well today. Bosses notice employees who volunteer for extra assignments, especially if they are difficult ones. Don’t hesitate to step forward. You are depositing some currency in your Future Career Bank.
2. Earn a reputation for integrity and credibility
A reputation cannot be presented to you like a medal. It must be earned through what those around you observe you doing on a regular basis. Over time, your colleagues will be able to cite instances when you have been seen doing something that reinforced their belief in your solid character. That may be brought about by your morals, ethics, religious beliefs, or all of those things. It simply means that when given the opportunity to do otherwise, you always choose the right path, even if it is one strewn with obstacles.
3. Learn your boss’s job
It is OK to let your supervisor know that you would like to serve in his or her role one day. Offer to learn some of your boss’s tasks and then help with them. Most leaders will welcome having some work taken off their plate once it becomes evident that you know what you are doing. The benefit for you lies in building your reputation for good work while learning new skills that may come in handy during a future promotional process.
4. Hang with positive people, not the self-appointed department critics
You build your reputation at least partially through the company you keep. If others — especially the department’s top leaders — note that you are one of the agency’s chronic gripers and naysayers, it will not prove beneficial to your future. If you are one of the noisiest in the pack, you will cause yourself even more career damage. Being positive does not require you to kiss anyone’s rump. Simply avoid attracting attention to yourself through constant negativity. Besides, positive people are more fun to be around.
5. Accept every opportunity for training and education
When you face an interview panel while seeking promotion or a specialized assignment, you will be asked what you have done to prepare for that career move. It will help your cause to cite a history of continuing training. Especially if your agency offers to spring for some or all of the cost, continuing education at the college level can prove helpful, too. The additional skills you acquire from continuing to learn may help you in your current position as well. Your goal should be to establish a reputation as a lifelong learner.
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6. Consider working with a mentor
Hopefully you have identified someone in your organization whose career you would like to emulate. Do not hesitate to approach him or her about becoming your Yoda to counsel, educate and guide you toward achieving your career goals. Any true leader will be honored by your request and will be willing to help you. You can learn a great deal through your attentive association with someone already well-respected as a solid leader. It is also likely that he or she will speak favorably of you when that career opportunity arises.
7. Remember the Golden Rule
It may sound trite and even corny. But what you learned in kindergarten still works. The Rule should be applied both to what you do on the street and what you do inside your organization. People remember how you treat them. No one wants to work with a jerk who treats them badly. They do not want to do anything for that person, either. First, treating people as you want to be treated is the right thing to do. Second, it cannot help but assist you in reaching your career goals.
8. Endeavor to serve as a positive role model
Again, it may sound corny, but it’s true. Your agency’s bosses are looking for people who will be positive examples for other employees, particularly new officers. You want to be able to tell a future interview board that you do, in fact, work to serve as that positive role model they are seeking. If you have been serving in that role, it is likely that the panel members already know it.
9. Accept disappointments in stride
As a kid you didn’t always get what you wanted at Christmas. Disappointments also can happen in your work life: you didn’t get that promotion or special assignment you deserved, or you received discipline you did not feel was warranted. It’s important enough to say once more: bosses watch how their subordinates handle adversity. No matter what you may be feeling, it is vital to maintain a normal, upbeat, adult demeanor on the outside.
10. Periodically take a hard look at yourself
Self-assessment can feel difficult, but it can also prove very beneficial. Do not be overly critical of yourself. You are almost certainly doing a great job in some areas — take time to acknowledge that. Then recognize those areas where you could do better and consider establishing a plan for addressing them. That is another place where a mentor can help you.
Conclusion
There is no magic involved in enjoying a successful and rewarding law enforcement career. All it requires is competence, self-control, good decision-making and an ample supply of common sense. Anyone who can master the sometimes dangerous job of a professional law enforcement officer can do it.
