Marina PD - Transforming Leadership
Read about how the Marina Police Department embraced collaboration and communication in implementing transformational leadership. Thank you Chief Tina for buying in and to the officers willing to take a hard, honest look at their strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. The work was led by retired MPD officer Sgt. Aaron Widener.
Their SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity & threat) analysis gave their strategic plan a framework. Their focus:
- Improve the police department’s organizational culture, enhance teamwork and provide greater transparency to the public.
- Increase trust within the police department and help leaders serve as models of accountability.
-Provide sworn officers and department staffers with training and education plans outlining paths to individual career goals.
-Develop an ongoing program to keep officers apprised of new legislation and case law.
“Although sheepdogs will fight to protect the flock, they are not fully beloved by the sheep. Perhaps it is because the sheepdog’s role was to nip at the heels of sheep when they strayed" as cited in Landavazo, 2019, p. 27. [1]
Teaming with respected community members is key to effective law enforcement and is critical to building trust with the community.
There is also a necessity for transformational decisions to be made to provide continuous coaching support for officers and their teams to boost their morale and resilience as they face multiple traumas, such as what we currently see happening with the stress from the pandemic and active community concerns.”