Law Enforcement Leadership Qualities

In law enforcement, Leaders should possess certain qualities in order to be an effective leader. Officers and Deputies look to their leaders for guidance. And even, look to their leaders as role models. In my opinion, a good leader is going to someone who can take a group of men and women, take the direction of the department, and accomplish the task in a timely and effective manner. There are several different qualities a good leader must possess. One of the most important qualities is ethics, the difference between right and wrong. “Throughout history philosophers, ancient sages, historians, story tellers, dramatists, and artists have chronicled, criticized, and even cringed at the ethical behaviors of leaders.” (Ciulla, Knights,

The first challenge, self-interest, the protagonist, Thrasymachus, talks about self-interest to be a leader that gets power, money, and other things.(Ciulla, Knights, Mabey & Tomkins, 2017). This would describe a leader that would put his own self interests in front of his subordinates and his community. This type of leader, would cause harm to his community and influence young inexperienced officers and would be detrimental to their on personal growth. The second challenge, dirty hands, Machivelli states, that leaders do bad things either for their own self-interests or the interests of others. And
Michael Waltzer states, that leaders who do bad things stand on a slippery slope.(Ciulla,
Knights, Mabey & Tomkins, 2017). This would describe a leader that takes advantage of one’s employees, community members, or businesses, in return for favors. The third challenge, ethics and effectiveness, Aristotle writes, “the excellence of man also will be the state which makes man good and which makes him do his work well.”(Ciulla, Knights, Mabey & Tomkins, 2017,
p.5). This would be a leader that just does not have ethics or morals, in their decision making