Law Enforcement Technology

JUL 2015

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44 Law Enforcement Technology July 2015 www.officer.com LEADERSHIP B Y W I L L I A M L . H A R V E Y M any of you have read my articles and a few have even attended my presentations. Recently, I was asked where I have garnered my little life lessons from. Well first of all, there is no book, only memories and hard knocks. I often feel that my life and career is a compilation of this sounded like a good idea when I started stories. So, I compiled a list of my top Harveyisms and truths for leaders. Please use these for your benefit, there is no rea- son to recreate mistakes, but only learn from them. Treat every day as a learning experience was told to me by a high school teacher and football coach George Blanda. This one coincides with something similar I heard: The day you know every- thing about police work, turn in your shield was told to me by my old college instructor and retired FBI agent John Freese. The gist of both was to keep learning. Never, ever quit learning. Seek out, enroll and wel- come training as a new experience. Handle their little problem today before it becomes your big ass problem tomorrow. I learned an immense amount from my chief of police in Savannah, David Gellatly. One thing he was big on was handling a problem quickly, effectively and only once. He would remind young commanders of this as they handled citizen or business complaints. The longer you put it off, the more it will grow—if not fester. And whatever you do—do it right the first time. Never write in anger (or you will wind up in the 3rd Precinct). This was a life lesson for me after writing a hot-under-the collar memo to a bureau commander over something that was not that important at all. But it lit my flames and I had to respond! Now every agency has that place where you are sent for police time-out. You know; the place where your career is put in neutral. Or maybe it's the department's penal colony. So after my tersely worded literary diatribe was read, my transfer was stamped out before I went to lunch. No discussion, no phone call, just pack your stuff, bye. Lesson learned. And the takeaway is never, ever write anything while angry. Slow down, get a proofer, go get Leadership quotes and police truisms Because it is essential to continue to learn new things I learned an immense amount from my chief of police in Savannah, David Gellatly. One thing he was big on was handling a problem quickly, effectively and only once.

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