Reflection

In the University of San Diego’s Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership (LEPSL)

Program, the third of four Primary Learning Objectives is engaging in law enforcement and public

safety institutional assessment and change. As the saying goes, the only constant in life is change.

In order to remain relevant and effective during times of change, public safety agencies and their

leaders must continuously evaluate themselves and their environment, and make necessary

modifications in order to improve the services expected by the citizens. Assessment of every

aspect of personnel, operations, logistics, and other critical pieces on a periodic basis will prevent

stagnation of procedures and enhance capabilities to better reflect modern challenges. Looking

inward, we can observe ways to improve and learn from them, in turn maximizing our

effectiveness in our complex world.

The first paper to demonstrate this concept is an overview of organizational change over

the course of a career. New technology, budget challenges, drug abuse, mental health crises,

homelessness, and terrorism are but a few of the issues facing the modern leader, and in addition,

a leader must become adept at forecasting the future in order to be prepared for it. Becoming an

organization that learns from its past will undoubtedly improve the future. Moreover, we must not

forget the human element of our organizations. Ensuring that existing personnel are retained

through pay, benefits, and inspiring leadership, while recruiting the staff for the future as our

society makes this task more difficult is, once again, a critical competency for our leadership.

Next is a hypothetical speech given by an incoming Chief of Police of the Carlsbad Police

Department detailing his vision for the department under his direction. Embracing the agency

values, leading in an honorable fashion, and rising to the considerable challenge of tackling the

most vexing of modern societal problems while continuing to fertilize the ground in which the
staff excels serves as motivation for brilliance, but always seeking improvement as lessons are

learned. The quest for constant performance assessment, as well as being unafraid of change, is

the mark of the enlightened, effective leader essential to today’s society.

The third work relates to employee wellness, which unfortunately has long been neglected

in our profession. Our people are our greatest asset, and they are not easily replaced even in the

best of circumstances. From unhealthy physical bodies to substance abuse and suicide, policing

can be extremely detrimental to our employees and their families. This document details ways to

enhance peer support and wellness programs to better reflect the true and dire need for such

services, and may additionally be viewed as an investment against misconduct which may occur

as a byproduct of extreme stress and burnout. The objective of wellness programs may both be

reactive to current individual employee situations, as well as proactive towards those continually

exposed to severe stressors. Modern techniques have been shown to be effective in this area, and

being on the forefront is critical in order for leaders to take care of their people.

In sum, public safety leaders must look inward on a constant basis to assess the efficacy of

current operations and to identify the need to adopt necessary change. From general concepts of

organizational change to leadership transitions to taking better care of employees, we have seen

changing times bring new challenges as well as new solutions. Being satisfied with the status quo

is never an option for today’s leaders, and maintaining order and efficiency in one’s own house is

the first step in being able to deliver public safety to the citizens who demand it. In the LEPSL

program, I have learned tremendously of the value of looking inward and hope to apply it in my

future endeavors.