Roles, First-Line Supervisors’

Supervisors’ Tasks

The job title of first-line supervisor is reminiscent of the view that supervisors are the first line of defense against officer misconduct, from slacking off on the job to the abusive use of police powers. Supervisors act as the primary agent in translating [Page 364]policy implementation directives from the administrators to the street-level policy enactors. Such directives may include the implementation of policies that lower-ranking officers have no desire to follow. Because supervisors face many difficulties in actively monitoring officers who conduct various activities throughout any given police district or beat, it is important for them to maintain positive relations with their subordinates. This entry provides an overview of the notion of leadership and its relevance for supervisors, how supervisors influence officer behavior, and where supervisors fit in the context of community policing.

In addition to their policing tasks, supervisors are required to perform several other tasks associated with their supervisory role. How these supervisory tasks are conducted has been a topic of interest in the literature. Activities that first-line supervisors perform often include the following:

• Directing officers to conduct necessary activities for the department
• Communicating to subordinates information that is pertinent to police work
• Ensuring that departmental guidelines are followed in conducting police activities
• Monitoring officers as they conduct activities to ensure that those tasks are completed timely and properly
• Reviewing officers’ reports to ensure accuracy in their reporting
• Listening to and discussing problems expressed by officers
• Backing up officers on dangerous or high-profile calls for service
• Communicating the problems faced by street-level officers up to department administrators
• Taking the lead in directing and guiding officers’ actions at high-risk calls for service or dangerous situations
• Translating department policies for subordinates in a manner befitting each officer’s circumstances or the novel situations they face

Although this list is not exhaustive, it shows that supervisors must have an understanding of the department’s policies and bureaucracy, a working relationship with both subordinate and superior officers, and the ability to both supervise other officers and conduct police operations properly in a field context.

Leadership and Police Supervisors

Most police supervisors hold the rank of sergeant, but this is not always the case. In some departments first-line supervisors are corporals and in small departments they may be lieutenants. Regardless of rank, all supervisors have similar responsibilities and must be able to lead. Leadership may be defined as the accomplishment of goals through the use of oneself and one’s subordinates efficiently and without risk for failure. These goals are defined by the assignments provided to supervisors from their superiors.

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