Riverden Police Department
MPD Leadership and Command Guidelines
Code of Conduct:
A command position in MPD is a position of high responsibility, but also high reward. While policing in the day to day is a fairly simple role, it is in positions of decision making where the real human complexity shows through. A good chief is not only responsible for policing the streets of Monoford, but also for policing their own officers, and ensuring policy is followed to guarantee the effectiveness of the force, and also the safety of all involved. Therefore, the Police Chief should be:
- Professional;
- Honest;
- Unbiased;
- Leader;
- Welcoming
Contents
The Two Strike Dismissal
Radio Control - Officers must be responsive to emergency calls over chatter
Assertion - Discipline is more important than effectiveness
Tactical Planning - Overwhelming force from multiple points, simultaneously, where possible
The Basics - Make sure lower ranks do the mundane jobs as well
Public Complaints - Listen, and make the consequence known to the complainant. Misconduct is a crime
Values - Community and Commitment
The Two Strike Dismissal
Officers in MPD should expect a single official warning about their conduct before dismissal. If someone is being unprofessional on the radio, or receives a valid public complaint, then they ought to be warned clearly - let your officer know what they have done, what to do in future, and the consequence of their actions to themselves and those affected. If the same behavior is repeated, they may only then be dismissed, and the reasons made clear.
Radio Control
It is also important that our officers enjoy their time with MPD. A good chief ought to keep a constant eye on the radio, to make sure that officers are happy, talking in a good natured way and communicative. We want to maintain radio efficacy - both absolute silence and good natured joshing are both acceptable in radio, provided that when an emergency transmission comes through, it is heard and responded to immediately. If an emergency transmission is missed, it can lead to lost lives. Chiefs must maintain the fine balance between a happy radio and an effective radio - phrases such as “clear comms” and “break break” MUST be effective to protect lives at all times. It is also the job of the chief to identify situations in radio as they come up and direct attention to them - “was that a request for backup?” or “confirming bank raid callout there” if officers do not respond of their own accord.
Assertion
It is important for a chief to be able to assert themselves when necessary. The rank must be respected, even if establishing this may be uncomfortable. The chief has the final word, and contradicting the final word is grounds for dismissal or warning. Discipline is more important than effectiveness at MPD. There is no point having well trained officers who do not listen to orders. MPD command would rather see a police force that follows orders in full than one that succeeds in stopping all criminals. The reason for this is the frequent need for overwhelming and well planned force - this is not possible if officers act in a “each man for himself” way.
A chief may assert themselves by clearly and calmly repeating their order or decision, and providing a short explanation of the reason why. We hope in time a chief may never need to raise their voice to gain the attention of their officers.
Tactical Planning
This is the more practical and fun role of a chief. With the ability to give orders comes an ability to plan. MPD takes the approach of using, where possible, overwhelming force when dealing with firearms. This means approaching a target from as many angles as possible, with as many officers as possible, at the same time. Phrases such as “strike strike strike” or “breach breach breach” should become standard under a good chief. A single officer can only do so much. However, a criminal can only kill one officer at a time. A good chief will be aware that a sacrifice of one officer’s life can lead to an opportunity for another to neutralize the threat. Three people entering through a door at once without stopping, therefore, will always be more effective than one person peeking round to protect their own life.
Each officer must be aware of their own life. The chief must be aware of the amount of life the PD has as a single, united force, and learn to use this to the advantage of the law.
The Basics
Lower ranks love action - it’s in their nature. A chief must therefore make sure the basics of policing - setting up a good perimeter, beginning negotiations, getting details of suspects - are all being delegated properly to the lower ranks. No job should be left unassigned under an effective chief. Every officer needs to know their role in an operation or response.
Public Complaints
The chief will also be in charge of dealing with official complaints from the public and other officials. This will often take up a lot of the work - at these times, other responsibilities of the chief may be delegated to his assistant or lieutenants. It is important that those making complaints feel listened to, and that both sides of a story are told. The effects of a complaint should be made clear to the complainant - be that a warning, dismissal or arrest. MPD emphasises that misconduct in a public office can be considered a crime if serious enough.
Values
The role of the chief, in short, is to uphold the values on the MPD badge: community and commitment. Community, in engaging with the public, making the public feel safe and interacting with them even when they are not suspects, as well as the community felt within our own ranks - every officer should be welcomed with open arms. Commitment - making sure the less exciting responsibilities of officers are upheld, and orders are followed throughout the chain of command regardless of personal wishes. (This does mean that a sergeant should be able to give an order to an officer and have it followed with the same amount of respect as if the chief gave an order.) Commitment may also mean putting one’s life on the line to give other officers a chance at neutralizing a threat - officers who go through the door first every time are a merit to our force.
Through upholding these two simple values, and making sure policy is followed to ensure safe policing, we hope that your time in chief will promote peace, kindness and security to all the citizens of Monoford, regardless of who might or might not be wearing the badge.
Best Regards,
Police Department Command
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