DEPARTMENT: Police Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus, Chief of Police
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT: Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) Program Update
SUMMARY:
As part of the San Antonio Police Department’s ongoing commitment to promote leadership development for officers, the FY 2019 Adopted Budget included funding for the implementation of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) Program. The LPO is the flagship leadership development program of the IACP and is designed to provide methods for leaders to understand and apply modern behavioral science and leadership theories that enhance human motivation, satisfaction, and performance in the achievement of organizational goals.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In November 2016, the City Manager convened the Women in Policing workgroup which consisted of female SAPD officers of various rank. The goal of the workgroup was to identify opportunities to achieve diversity throughout the Department. The introduction of a leadership development program was identified by the group as a priority that would also compliment the efforts of the leadership development committee formed by Chief McManus to create a leadership training curriculum for the Department. Following extensive research on available leadership development programs, the Women in Policing workgroup recommended the IACP Leadership in Police Organizations Program which was ultimately included in the FY 2019 Adopted Budget.
Curriculum
The LPO Program is a three-week program that will be administered one week a month for three consecutive months at the San Antonio Police Academy. The program can accommodate up to 36 individuals per session and is comprised of four areas:
• The Individual System (Leading Individuals): Area I features the concepts of individual motivation with an emphasis on the leader’s thought process which is a problem-solving approach to resolving some of the most common personnel issues that leaders face and the fundamental process that supports each lesson throughout the three-week course.
• The Group System (Leading Groups): Area II builds on the previous week, adding concepts of group formation and process, as well as an overview of several critical skills necessary for leading groups.
• The Leadership System (The Leaders): Area III explores theories of individual leadership and how students can improve their effectiveness with their people and teams.
• The Organizational System (Leading Organizations): Area IV focuses on organizational concepts such as leading change, creating and maintaining an ethical culture, and better understanding the environment in which organizations work.
The LPO Program will be administered to supervisors throughout the Department by twelve officers that will complete train the trainer courses. The table below details the twelve LPO instructors:
|
Capt. Miles Earwood |
Capt. Karen Falks |
Capt. Anthony Maziek |
Capt. Adolph Zuniga |
|
Lt. Russ Van Geffen |
Lt. Justin Massiatte |
Lt. James Lint |
Lt. Jaime Trevino |
|
Sgt. Kelly Bender |
Sgt. Christopher Johnson |
Sgt. Michael Moore |
Sgt. Cruz Castellon |
Schedule
The LPO Program will be provided to 242 Sergeants, 49 Lieutenants, and 20 Captains over a two year period to conclude in August 2020. There will be a total of 9 classes with 36 supervisors per class.
The Department is confident that the topics taught as part of the LPO Program will reinforce the communication, de-escalation and ethics principles that are part of the existing cadet and in-service training curriculum. Completion of the LPO Program will further demonstrate the Department’s commitment to remaining one of the premiere law enforcement agencies in the nation as evidenced by its recent collaboration with the Department of Justice and IACP as the largest of 15 law enforcement agencies selected to participate in the Advancing 21st Century Policing Initiative.
RECOMMENDATION:
This briefing is for information purposes only