ABSTRACT
In the classic book Good to Great, Jim Collins notes that successful organizations and teams have one critical thing in common: they get the right people on the bus (Collins, 2001). Truth be told, selecting and promoting the right people in organizations remain critical first steps in creating a highly effective and efficient workforce. In general this is true, but nowhere is it more the case than in a police department, especially when it comes to selection of new officers. Consider the fact that in almost every other type of organization, deficiencies in selection can at least be partially made up by successful introduction of supervisors and other leaders in various positions throughout the company. In police departments, it is rare—in fact, highly unlikely—that supervisors and leaders come from anywhere else except those who joined the force as new officers. The pool of applicants for promotions is almost exclusively made up of individuals who have come up through the ranks. Ineffective selection programs and the inevitable hiring mistakes that occur even with the best selection processes result in limitations in terms of candidates for promotions (these ideas are further developed in Chapter 11).
