Handling Resistance

For

LEPSL 580: Conflict Resolution

By

Susan C. Ralph
The department is considering termination for a seven-year veteran of the department. The

officer has no disciplinary action taken against her throughout her employment.

The missing arrestee statements by Body-Worn Camera (BWC) is the only discipline that Jessica

has received. A thorough review of all aspects of this incident must occur before making this

enormous and life-altering decision. By utilizing several methods to review this conflict,

hopefully, we can come to a solution that would be agreeable to all the interests involved.

We will dissect the more significant issue into smaller parts by examining each issue separately

and addressing each individually. (Goldsmith, 2011) The first issue is that Jessica allegedly did

not activate the BWC failing to capture valuable statements from the defendant. There is

information regarding the model BWC that we currently use and its’ failure to start recording

even though the officer hits the button to turn it on. Before firing a tenured officer, a look at

statistics both within the department and country-wide functionality of the current BWC’s we

deploy to our officers should be conducted. If Jessica found that the BWC that was in use is

defective, we cannot blame her for the lack of recording.

Secondly, prior to the institution of the BWC program, officers would document statements

made to officers within their reports. The district attorney’s office is upset that the statements

were not captured on video; however, reliance on video statements should not change the

reliability of statements documented by the officer. Technologies can fail, but the officer’s

recollection will not.

The next issue to address is the activist group that has been vocal after the George Floyd

incident. If we hold a meeting with them, we can overcome their concerns.

The politicians that have called for the dissolution of the department with a reinvention of a

community welfare group show many instances where communities have defunded the police

department and violent crime and property crimes have risen dramatically. They have caused

communities to become highly unsafe.

Asking additional questions during (Goldsmith, 2011) this presentation will allow us to find

additional underlying concerns regarding this incident. What other stakeholders could bring

additional concerns, and what other concerns could the chief have? These are important because

there could be additional issues not at the forefront right now.

Discussing both the immediate issues along with issues that arise after “Asking more questions”

(Goldsmith, 2011), we can then “Generate options” (Goldsmith, 2011). We can brainstorm ideas

on addressing the activist group, the politicians, the community, stakeholders, district attorney’s

office, and union for Jessica. I believe we can formulate other options to address the concerns

and outside pressure that the department is enduring.

Another tool to use is “Ask an expert” to address the BWC malfunction and the validity of firing

a tenured officer. By bringing in experts from the BWC provider and IT, we can discuss the

equipment malfunctioning and see whether this occurred to Jessica during the incident.

Secondly, we can also have experts to see if firing this female officer is proper.

With other instances where the BWC has malfunctioned, and other officers have not been fired

for these similar occurrences, it would be likely that we will be opening up the department too

serious litigation, which could cause millions to the municipality.

Using various methods to overcome resistance provides an opportunity for parties to discuss

problems individually, ask additional questions, seek expert input, and generate options to
address resistance and discuss issues. Discussing alternatives to the proposed initiative can

positively influence the department and the individuals involved. Rushed decisions tend to have

negative ramifications, detrimental to morale and confidence. By collaborating with

management, we should achieve a “Better alternative to a negotiated agreement” (Goldsmith,

2011).

References
Goldsmith, K. C. (2011). Resolving Conflicts at Work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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