Police Promotion Information and Resources.
Everything You Need to Know to Plan For and Achieve Promotion Up the Ranks in Law Enforcement!
Building a Promotional Reputation
Over Time
By Lt. Paul Patti (ret) - Director
Police
Career and Promotion Services, LLC.
What you need to know
about all aspects of preparing for and achieving your promotion in
law enforcement can be found in these pages.
About us: I spent 27 years in law enforcement, and since 1985 I have directed an organization that has worked with individuals and agencies in finding and promoting the right people into the higher ranks of police and sheriff's departments. We include a Ph.D. in Personnel Management, as well as a staff attorney focusing on criminal law applications and legal-oriented promotion exams in law enforcement. We specialize not only in writing promotion textbook exams for police agencies, but also written exam preparation for individuals, along with in-basket, oral board and assessment center preparation for both agencies and individual training. Our individual client base of thousands of career law officers has a 99%+ pass rate on their written exams!
More information about me, my organization and affiliates can be found at these links; PoliceCareer.com, About Us, PoliceCareer.net, PolicePromotion.com, Finests.com, In-Basket.net and PoliceAssessmentCenter.com.
Master List of Articles. Questions? Contact me - Paul@PolicePromotion.com
Building a Promotional Reputation Over Time
By Lt. Paul Patti (ret.), Director,
Police Career and Promotion Services, LLC — 40+ years of law
enforcement promotion expertise.
The research consistently identifies your reputation among
your peers and supervisors as a foundational element in
advancement — and one that is either built or destroyed in the
very earliest years of your police career.
A good reputation will be the first and most useful baseline in helping police officers to attain their career goals, while a bad reputation will most likely limit your advancement opportunities.
It is really all up to YOU. If new officers do not hold themselves accountable for mistakes, struggle with controlling anger and do not get along well with other employees, it is highly unlikely that these officers would be selected to supervise other people. Police supervisors, managers and top administrators don't need or want any more problems than they already have in normal day-to-day operations. If they believe that promoting you will add to their headaches - that promotion simply won't happen.
On the other hand, if a road patrol officer has the reputation of being a hard worker, supports coworkers and the community, and is liked by peers and supervisors, it is far more likely that officer will be selected when eligible for a promotion.
The RENT formula from Police1 as an excellent framework:
Preparing for the future is an ongoing process that begins the
first day on the job. The four critical elements for growth and
development are:
Reputation, Education, Networking and Training
(RENT). Developing and maintaining a good professional
reputation is paramount to success.My Caution on "Networking"
Networking is sometimes broadly misunderstood as being a member of an internal department "clique." You don't want that idea following you. You don't want to associate only with certain specific groups, and no one else. True friendships in law enforcement carry forward and look back, and you never lose touch with those you have shared a team spirit with.You can network, and should network, with every section or assignment in the department you share a common interest with — and those you don't. An agency is a large team with a large mission, made up of smaller teams with more specific missions. Over the years the assignments and missions change — so you should change with them. But always maintain a strong network of quick contacts across a wide spectrum of assignments. Your smartphone should have quick-access calling to everyone capable of helping with any problem you are likely to run in to in your current assignment. Along with that, make sure everyone knows to call you any time you are needed to help with any problem.
Don't be in a "clique" — yes, of course you will spend the most time with the team members who also specialize in your current assignment — but you need to network with pretty much everyone.
What else? High ethical standards, being reliable, trustworthy, dependable and selfless are among the strongest indicators of a positive reputation. This conduct must transcend both professional and personal lives. Once a reputation is damaged, it is extremely difficult to rebuild. In law enforcement you must both literally and figuratively guard your reputation with your life.
How Long Can You "Hold Your Breath?"
On the danger of attempting short-term behavior changes: A wise old commander once said about an officer who had "cleaned up his act" while vying for a promotion: "He can't hold his breath that long." He had supervised the officer for most of his career and knew him well. He would watch his words carefully and also behave for a little while, but there will be something within a short time to make him resort to his true colors.It is drummed in to a police administrator — a Police Chief or Sheriff — from their day 1 in the top job - the one most important thing they must consider before promoting you is your work record. Is your record consistent, or has it changed just to fit the promotion time period? They know that the totality of your past performance (not just a few months on your best behavior) will be the most valid predictor for how well your future career will play out in the organization.
Some short articles to further understand this topic;
Decisions for Police Promotions: Past Performance Predicts
Future Success
Preparing to Rise Through The Ranks in Law Enforcement
RENT — The 4 Critical Elements of Professional Growth and Development in
Law EnforcementMaster list of articles and resources: from PolicePromotion.net
Your Police Promotion Timeline — When Should
Preparation Begin?
Field Training — Your First Defining Chapter
Building Your Promotional Reputation Over Time
Recordkeeping —
Your Evaluations, and Training Documentation
The Two Tracks —
Supervision vs. Specialization
The Role of College Education
in Law Enforcement
The FTO As an Early Promotion Credential
The Written Promotional
Exam — What It Covers and How to Prepare
The Oral Board — the
Promotion First-Timer's Biggest Challenge
The In-Basket Exercise
— NOT as
Easy as You Think!
Assessment Center Exercises
—
Don't Fear — Prepare!
Making it To The Top — Or — How High is
High Enough?
When it's Time to Leave it All Behind — And What to
do Next.Do You REALLY Want the Promotion? — Links to help you prepare for:
Police Corporal
Police Detective
Police Sergeant
Police Lieutenant
Police Captain
Police
Administration and Upper Management
Understanding Police Leadership Concepts
Understanding Police Ethical Considerations
Understanding Police
Patrol and Field Operations
Understanding Community
and Problem-Oriented Policing
Understanding Intelligence-Led Policing
Police Case Law
Application with Case Law Pro