Psychiatry: The Importance Of Trust In The Police Family

What is trust and why is it so important in the police family? According to DuBrin (2013), trust is defined as “a person’s confidence in another individual’s intentions and motive’s and the sincerity of that individual’s word.” When a leader’s trustworthiness is called into question, what happens to the support of subordinates towards decisions made by leadership and police supervisors? Police supervisors are bestowed authority and tremendous responsibility not only for the community and citizens they serve and protect, but also for the subordinates that work under their command. It would seem to reason that trust in the people that hold law enforcement leadership roles must remain intact and if that trust begins to suffer, what are the

The dictionary does not take into account human characteristics that affect leadership. Research has identified seven characteristics of police leaders (Pearson-Goff & Herrington, 2013). The first perceived attribute is ethics. Ethics, according to DuBrin, is the study of moral obligations, or separating right from wrong (2013). The second important trait of a police leader is integrity. A leader should clearly exhibit a sense of integrity and honesty in their role. This legitimacy in integrity plays a major role in followership. Integrity includes loyalty and practicing what you preach no matter the emotional or social pressure involved (DuBrin,

People look up to leaders and developing and maintaining trust is a key part in leadership. Trust, integrity and honesty work in both directions. Leaders need to trust their subordinates just as much as followers need to trust their leaders. The third characteristic of an effective leader identified by Pearson-Goff and Herrington (2013) is legitimacy. Legitimacy plays a part in leadership through the old adage ‘been there, done that’. A subordinate will want to know that their leader has walked the walk and is not just talking the talk. The ability to do the job of a frontline officer, pass through the ranks and develop the skills needed to become a leader is critical in the eyes of a follower (Pearson-Goff and Herrington, 2013). The fourth identified leadership characteristic, be a role model, coordinates in line with the first three. A supervisor should lead by example and act as they expect their followers to act. An agency that can relate to following a supervisor’s lead as a role model is the Houston Police Department. In 2008, the agency had two lieutenants suspended for sexual harassment, however, they were allowed to retire and collect their pensions without any consequences (DePrang, 2014). The leadership style of these command officers may be viewed as acceptable by the troops and thus they could believe treating people in this manner is