Sgt's: friend or foe

[smith0096]

I've been a sgt for nearly two years, 18 years of road. How does one seperate or draw the line from being a friend to a fellow officer and being the sgt when the officer does a 85% investigation or is lazy 6 hours of a 10 hour shift. Any advise is great.

[pulicords]

Nows the time you earn the additional money you get and the stripes you wear. You tell the officer that you care about him/her and don't want to see them feel negative results of poor performance. A good team relies on 100% effort of all it's members. This officer isn't supporting the goals of the department, his/her supervisors or his/her peers by slacking off. You can't tolerate this, because as a supervisor your primary job is to ensure good performance from your subordinates. Tell the offender that if necessary, you'll be on them like "stink on @#&*" for their own good as well as the organizations. Then offer the carrot. Let them know that good performance is noticed and appreciated by the organization. Ask them what long term goals they have and let them know that the only way they'll attain them is through good work.

[ateamer]

How about finding out why he isn't doing much? Has he been unfairly criticized for previous investigations, so he doesn't care anymore? Did some golden boy get an assignment the officer in question wanted? Is he really lazy, or is he just a quiet, reliable officer who doesn't make a lot of noise and draw attention to himself? Is he having problems at home? Is there a set standard as to how many car stops he has to make, or how many arrests he has to make in a shift?

[Sgt. Geezer]

I know I don't have the answers you are looking for because you probably are in a large agency with many Officers and I have no experience in that type arena.
I do however think that the Sergeant's position is the intermediate slot between the Rank-N-File and the Brass that is most responsible for taking care of the troops. In turn .... they usually will respect and take care of you.
Total honesty and very plain talk. Something must get done that is not? Say so.
You are given the responsibility of generating appraisals.... The people under your umbrella must know what is required in advance of any sit downs.
This is what we need and this is what is expected of you. You chose not to try ..... the result will be this.
You have issues I should know about.........talk to me.
Straight forthright goals and minimum expectations / requirements. He who works the hardest gets the carrots.

[S.O.4]

I had stripes for 13 years before getting the bars. I have always operated on the principal that when I'm on duty I have no friends. Over the years all my true friends - both those above and below me in rank - have had the same view. If someone wants to be a slug and then expects you to cover their *** because you are a 'friend', the reality is they they are not really your friend at all. Real friends don't expect friends to compromise their position. While I understand that I am a hard-nosed old bastard, I tell my sergeants that they have two choices - either be a sergeant or turn in your stripes.

[gammyland]

STOP IT NOW!!!!!!! I'm only simple patrol cop but I've seen a fellow cop, who no longer works with us, go down the same path. If you dont do anything to improve the 85% or the 6 hours of doing nothing it will only be worse. If they are a senior officer with alot of time in you'll see the junior officers showing signs of the same problem when they see that they only have to give 85 %. We all get paid the same no matter how hard we work if we don't get in trouble. With in a few years I've lost my young cop mentallity of "go get 'em" No I work because I like my job and understand that I NEED to do a good job, My SGT's demand it and I don't have a problem with it.

[smith0096]

let me try to explain the laziness, in my opinion, as it relates to his invesitgations. this officer works saturday-tuesday, 10 hour shifts, 0700-1700 hours on saturday and sunday and 1500-0100 hours on monday and tuesday. saturday's are his mondays and no one is a spark on monday. sundays are his tuesday, however he feels the public should enjoy their sundays so nothing is ever accomplished on his tuesday. his wednesday is a monday for the public and no one is ever in a good mood on monday. tuesdays are his fridays and of course no officer wants to finish the work week with a ball buster report or investigation, so that investigation is put off until his monday, which is a saturday. unless, i either delegate it to another officer or finish it myelf. i work the streets and not to brag but my numbers blow the rest out of the sewer...no reflection to the town...well maybe. this laziness has been there since day one, day one of his employment. he's got years on me at the department but years of service...hell im 41...he has an excuse for everything and will spend 20 minutes talking himself out of a 10 minute report. we all have them, as i've been told...god help me or shoot me now.

[Blazin413]

If the Officer can't make a distinction between friend and supervisor when necessary, it's his problem, not yours. Do your job so you don't lose it.

[Plaso]

The bottom line is that you are the supervisor and paid to get the job done.

[just joe]

What Blazin413 said. Unfortunately, you have inherited a problem that someone else wouldn't deal with years ago, but back then, it might have been a different dept.(?). You are going to have to hold him accountable, so you get to be the dick. I assume the rest of the patrol staff knows he is a slug, so there shouldn't be any hard feelings from anyone.

[smith0096]

it has become a standing joke...a joke until my *** got involved now its my headache. i appreicate the advise.

[PFL]

If the guy is your friend, then have a man to man with him and tell him that you're getting your balls busted because of him. That might light a fire. If not, then start making work for him by assigning him to junior man details, set aside a time that he must do radar, etc.

On the other hand, if you're trying to change the guy to show your bosses that you're a hero, and brought a slug back to life, then I'm not behind you.

We have a guy at my place who just got his stripes and thinks he's god's gift. While he was a good officer, he did the absolute bare minimum when it came to production. Now when he tries to tell guys to write more tickets, we're all thinking that he's an *******. He's looking only to promote himself to the brass, which I find pathetic. This guy was my friend until those chevrons were put on his sleeves. He forgets that we know how to do our jobs, and micromanages us- something that he abhorred when he was a lowly patrolman.

[mobrien316]

Is the officer flat-out not doing his job? As in not filing reports, refusing to do investigations, not showing up on calls for service? Etc...

Or, is the officer doing the absolute bare minimum required? Or something really close to it?

If it is the first situation then you clearly have a job to do as a supervisor. If he isn't doing his work I guarantee you he knows it. If he tries to use friendship as a shield then he is not really your friend. A friend would realize not only that he is not doing his job but also that you have to do yours.


If it is the second situation, then give him a pat on the back and let him know you appreciate his efforts. If he is doing the absolute bare minimum required then, in other words, he is doing his job. The best way to get him to do more is to acknowledge what he is doing and let him know you appreciate it.

[J_Mann]

Bottom line, you've got stripes for a reason. You have an obligation to do whatever is best for the department. If that means moving an officer on,then you gotta do what ya gotta do.

Does your department require officers to keep their numbers up? Maybe he's just burnt out.

[DOAcop38]

I had stripes for 13 years before getting the bars. I have always operated on the principal that when I'm on duty I have no friends. Over the years all my true friends - both those above and below me in rank - have had the same view. If someone wants to be a slug and then expects you to cover their *** because you are a 'friend', the reality is they they are not really your friend at all. Real friends don't expect friends to compromise their position. While I understand that I am a hard-nosed old bastard, I tell my sergeants that they have two choices - either be a sergeant or turn in your stripes.

Thats a sad and "hard***ed" approach, and it builds resentment.People NEED to know that the people they work for actually CARE about them and what they deal with .As a senoir officer on my watch ,I've found younger officers coming to me for advice or direction more so than the Sgts and Lts- reason? Unapproachable personalities.The BEST supervisors CAN walk that fine line-calling officers by their first names,builds closeness, but at the same time telling someone to "get it done now".In todays policing ,you have to be flexible in performing the job.I've sen the inflexible types in charge- they get very little out of their employees except being on time,and LEAVING on time.....