UTPD Lieutenant Mike Richardson recently attended the Senior Management Institute for Police, a training that provides senior police executives with the latest management concepts and practices used in business and government.
The intensive three-week course is an initiative of the Police Executive Research Forum. It equips police leaders to effectively move their organizations forward. It also aims to strengthen and deepen leadership at law enforcement agencies around the country.
Participants engaged in discussions of the most challenging issues facing law enforcement executives today. The program featured faculty from top universities, successful law enforcement chief executives, and subject matter experts from the private sector.
Richardson and 102 other police executives from around the nation attended the course, which was held in Boston this summer.
Recognizing that leadership is about change was a major takeaway for Richardson.
“We are dealing with generational differences, which requires leaders to adapt to new styles that may not be comfortable for us,” he said.
Richardson’s cohort discussed different elements required for those in rising leadership positions, such as dealing with the media, particularly during critical incidents; building strong relationships with the community to establish credibility; and clear and concise communication.
“We are in a unique role as law enforcement and must develop methods to build partnerships with our community to provide a safe environment for all involved,” he said. “We need to realize we not only serve the community, but they need to feel as if they are our partners.”
Other Senior Management Institute for Police curriculum topics included skillful negotiation techniques; implicit bias; strategies to accomplish organizational change.