Improving community outcomes and social equity through leveraged police leadership

Abstract

This chapter examines the traditional pathways to leadership in policing that have dominated the past few decades, as well as the parallel systemic changes that have put increasing tension upon them. In departing from those traditional patterns, each contributing author offers reflections on how new trends and notable distinctions have become evident in practice over recent years. We conclude these reflections by zeroing in on three "distinguishing leadership characteristics" that most clearly depart from those past patterns, and devote each of this chapter sections to exploring the meaning, the evidence, and the significance of each. We showcase four featured profiles, none of which is limited to a single individual, but rather, permits us to examine the evidence of distinctive characteristics in action, and in the interactions among like-minded and mutually reinforcing teams. Each and every one of these teams has our unbridled respect, and our deep gratitude for their willingness to be held up to the light of our own discussions in this chapter. We close this chapter by linking back to the general fields of leadership and policing research, education and development, and offer some observations on how these fields may need to recognize and better prepare for the emergence of the distinguishing characteristics we expose, and the growing implications of the social conditions that are increasingly driving them to the surface.