What now, Sergeant?

You spent years studying for THE test. You did well and successfully passed your oral board(s) and interview(s). Today is the big day. You will receive your sergeant’s stripes and tomorrow night you will be in charge of a squad of officers.

So what now, Sergeant?

How do you “take charge”? Or were you assuming that your new stripes made you an instant leader and your officers would automatically respect and follow you anywhere? (We all know of “leaders” that we would follow, but only out of sheer curiosity).

Not so fast, no-time-in-grade sergeant. You don’t have to do anything to gain your officers’ respect – they will give it to you, now that you are a sergeant - whether or not you keep that respect is entirely up to you. As far as being qualified as a leader – if you were not a leader yesterday, your pristine stripes will not make you a leader today.

What your new charges want to know is: what do you expect from them? Try to remember what it was like when you were the beneficiary of a new sergeant. You were most likely apprehensive and cautious. After all, a sergeant wields great influence over his or her officers (can you say, “three days off?”). The bottom line is that we all want to be successful. This goal should be the common thread between you and your officers and the glue that holds the squad together. As a sergeant, you have expectations of your officers. More importantly, your officers have expectations of you.

What are your “pet peeves” and what are you “pet rocks”? Also, your officers want to know about you. What experiences and talents are you bringing to the squad? You should know by now that police officers are a cynical lot, but you can gain their trust by being trustworthy.

An e-mail (or hard copy letter) to each of your officers should precede your arrival by 24 – 48 hours - earlier if your predecessor has already departed the squad. What should your letter say? That is entirely up to you. After all, you’re the sergeant!

Don’t worry – I am not going to leave you hanging by not offering some advice. The following is the first part of my e-mail that I sent to my officers: “Today I begin my journey as a patrol sergeant for the (your agency). I am grateful to have been selected as a sergeant but I am more grateful to have been assigned to (your new squad number).

Since I cannot cover everything in 15 minutes or less, I have reduced to writing what I wanted to say at briefing tonight. Besides, the written word carries more power than the spoken word and this memo can serve as a quick reference.

Everyone knows me and I do not intend to change anything except to be humble in my selection as your sergeant. I have worked for many supervisors, managers, and leaders in my life, so I am familiar with the apprehension that accompanies the anticipation of working for someone new. My intent with this memo is to alleviate any fears or worries that you may have, tell you about myself, and let you know what my expectations are.

I do not anticipate changing anything until I get on board and become more proficient as a (your agency) patrol sergeant.

My background includes…”

I also listed my expectations and guidance on certain legal issues. I will share these with you in a later commentary (if I get enough feedback encouraging me to do so).

Did my letter of introduction help? Absolutely – it was a terrific “ice breaker”. My transition from patrol officer to sergeant went smoothly.

“What now, Sergeant?” If you follow my friendly advice, you have answered this question by demonstrating that you genuinely care about your officers. Your first day with those fresh stripes should be memorable.

“What’s next, Sergeant?” I will answer this question later.