If You Proclaim a Statement of Values, You Better Live By Them
A few months back, I was speaking to a fellow member of my Leadership Development Class. They said: “The department is looking at revamping the Mission Statement. Any interest in helping with that project?”
I responded with a resounding, “Absolutely.”
Shocked by my exuberant reply, they said, “Really? That’s great.”
I said: “Yes, I think the department should eliminate point 4 of our current Mission Statement’s Statement of Values[1]. ”
For those who are unaware, point four reads:
We Recognize that the Department Members are its Greatest Asset and Assume Responsibility to Treat Them Professionally and Support Their Professional Development.
I continued, “Because if we obviously are not even pretending to believe in that, why have it in there at all?”
Values are “a person’s principles or standards of behavior, one’s judgment of what is important in life.” If we’re not going to demonstrate the value of our “greatest assets” and live by the Statement of Values, then it’s time to scrap them.
We should at least be honest and eliminate that point 4. When the head of the organization tells members things like, “If you don’t like it, you can leave” and that members are “replaceable,” it does not exactly make members feel like the “Greatest Asset.” In addition, usually the threat of replacement only works when you actually have a group in line to replace someone. So, don’t be surprised when members listen. And then they leave.
Estimates from the department itself say the SFPD is at least 500 officers short. In just the first three full months of 2022, 84 cops have retired, resigned, or were released. I’m no mathematician, but it appears through the first 90 days of the year we are losing almost one cop per day. With new academy classes not being able to attract even 25 candidates, we are on the brink of ruin.
In my head, I visualize every other Friday’s Personnel Order like this scene from the movie Rudy.
If you haven’t seen the full clip, give it a watch and you will understand the reference.
Unfortunately, I have not heard back on my proposal as of yet, don’t worry, I haven’t been holding my breath while I wait.
TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER
You would imagine if members are the “Greatest Asset” then a member’s well-being would be a top priority to those in charge. As Simon Sinek likes to say, “Remember, you’re not in charge. You’re responsible for those in your charge.”
As our numbers continue to dwindle, it is important to take care of each other. At the station level, I think we do our best to make sure we back each other, give each other a break when its needed, and ensure everyone goes home safe. However, with fewer cops, and overworking the cops who are here with overtime, people are tired. Statistically, this fatigue leads to poor decision making, increased use of force incidents, and more work-related injuries.
As these inevitabilities stack up, we need those in charge to be present. We need them to show up. We need them to be there when cops have been working non-stop, when cops are involved in a major incident, and when cops get hurt. When this does not happen, and those in charge do not show up, it sends a message that is counter to our so-called “values.”
INERTIA IS FLOWING TOWARD THE EXIT
You want to know why people are leaving? Well on top of the above leadership issues, the money coming up does not look like it will stem the tide of cops leaving.
Sir Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion is known as inertia, it states:
“An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.”
Right now, all the motion is heading out the exit door. If almost one cop a day leaving continues, by the time the raises come in July we will already be down another 80 or so cops, conservatively.
But don’t worry fellow greatest assets, we can now wear our BDUs for the foreseeable future, and we get to stay on the platoon schedule. If you think that is the unbalanced force to fix the problem, well then Command Staff applications are opening, you should go interview.
Or better stated by a coworker, who sent me their feelings on the Booster Mandate repeal email:
“The Chief’s [booster mandate repeal] email proverbially brought me flowers yesterday, while I was still cleaning up my black eye from the Domestic Violence beating the department has given me. Thanks for the ‘I’m sorry’ flowers, but I’m tired of this relationship. Houses have been bought, people have applied elsewhere. Again, thanks for the flowers, but I’m packing my suitcase.”
Objects in motion stay in motion. The wise would avoid adding the Second Law of Motion, Force, to accelerate the problem. Instead, we have the coming disaster, a murky new use of force policy, in 9 days. The new policy will surely exacerbate the problem and cause many more to leave.
I predict nothing will change and inertia will continue hurling many toward departure, until we reach the Third Law of Motion; Action and Reaction, which states:
“Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first.”
The department appears to be leaning on our wage increase in July as a retention strategy to show us just how we are the “greatest asset” they have. So, let’s break down the increase.
By July 1, 2022, we will receive a 5% base wage increase. Some think this will help, I think it does almost nothing, it’s too little, too late. The 5% does not cover the current annualized inflation for 2022 which sits at 7.9%. This means in reality, we are not getting a 5% raise, we are just reducing our losses to 2.9%, once we get to July. While that does help, these raises were already factored into people’s decisions to leave. For those still considering leaving, it provides little change to stop the inertia toward the door.
Money will not fix everything. But, a large bump right now, not in July, may help act like a tourniquet to stem the one cop a day flow. It buys a pause, and it just may be the action that causes people to stay. A large increase right now instead of a loss in July could make a difference.
For our greatest assets, we need to do something.
[1] https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/your-sfpd/leadership