DISCIPLINE
By Robert Vernon
© 2005
I was driving home after a tough day at work. Two officers had
been wounded, a friend had called to tell me he had been diagnosed
with cancer and I was told to begin searching for ways to cut our
upcoming budget by ten percent. I was not in the best of moods. Then
the “capper.” As I backed out of my parking stall in the underground
parking at Parker Center I heard a “SigAlert” warning that the
freeways were clogged due to a series of traffic accidents. I would
have to negotiate my long drive home through heavy traffic on
surface streets.
I drove northbound on Alameda Street, passed Union Station and
crossed over to North Broadway. Driving through “China Town” I
noticed a black and white ahead with the light bar illuminated. I
slowed to see what was going on. The officers were giving someone
direction over their PA system on the light bar. I lowered my side
window to listen.
A car was stopped in the curb lane marked “No Stopping 4 to 6 PM.”
The officer ordered the car to move, adding “What’s the matter?
Can’t you read English?” The driver was an Asian lady. I could see
by the reaction of the mostly Asian pedestrians in the area that the
officer’s remarks were not appreciated, even though the car was
clearly blocking a needed traffic lane at this time of the day. On
top of an already bad day, I thought “We don’t need this.”
The car blocking traffic responded quickly, moving along with the
flow. The patrol car followed for a couple of blocks and then passed
on the left. I pulled along side of them at the next traffic light
and got their attention. The driver recognized me. I shouted that I
wanted to talk. They turned left on a side street and pulled to the
curb. I pulled in behind them. Both officers exited the “Black &
White” and walked toward me. I recognized the “two striper”, but his
partner must have just graduated from the academy. He was really
young and had that gaunt “run every day” look.
My initial impulse was to give the training officer a ration of my
thoughts in the “D.I.” format. What a terrible example for a recent
graduate. Then, fortunately, I remembered the words of one of my
most respected mentors. “Praise in public – chew out in private.”
This would be tough. I felt like venting; but I had observed the
validity of this adage many times. I had also reaped the failure of
not applying it. My failures convinced me of it’s authenticity.
I broke into a big smile. “Hi Russ. Do you still have that fast ski
boat?”
After some more small talk. I asked the trainee to wait in the
patrol car. I explained that Russ and I went back a long way and
that we needed to talk. Russ figured it out. He knew what was
coming. He just stood there, head down. It was obvious that the
voice on the P.A. system was his. I didn’t have to say much. He was
wrong and knew it.
“The kid.” I said. “In front of the kid.” I shook my head with
disappointment. He was silent.
“Do I have your word that you will make it right with the kid?
You’ve got to let him know that even good cops like you make
mistakes; but regret it when you do. At some point you need to
explain just how wrong you were tonight. We all have our bad
moments. The only question is: will you make it right?”
“Oh, I’ll make it right, Chief. You’ve got my word on that.”
Several months later, I saw Russ at the Academy Revolver Club Café.
He waited until after I finished my lunch with another colleague. As
we exited the Café, he asked to speak with me privately for a
moment. During that conversation he made two points. He assured me
that he had taken several steps to let the trainee know he was wrong
and give him proper guidance. But he spent most of that brief
encounter talking about a leadership principle he had learned that
night. He explained that he appreciated not being belittled in front
of his trainee. He stated that the experience resulted in him
changing his own approach to correcting trainees.
Sometime it is necessary to immediately stop inappropriate behavior
without regard for preserving the ego of the offender – for example
stopping excessive force at the conclusion of a pursuit. Also,
making punishment public in matters demanding formal discipline can
have a positive impact on the entire organization. But in the daily
responsibility of improving performance or correcting minor
deviations from professionalism, the principle of “chew out in
private” can be the best way to go – On Point.
Bob Vernon retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 37 years on the force. He earned an MBA at Pepperdine University and is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Managerial Policy Institute and the FBI’s National Executive Institute. After retirement, Vernon founded The Pointman Leadership Institute (visit http://pointmanleadership.org), which provides principle-based ethics seminars around the world for police agencies, parliament members, military leaders and a variety of other groups.