When implementing a change to COPPS and recruiting officers it is important to have support from all the divisions of a policy agency for the change to work. Each division has a special assign task when it comes to change in a police agency. The process starts with the Chief Executives, who are responsible for all the facets of COPPS, from implementation to training to evaluation, when implementing a change the chief executive must be willing to do things that have never been done before. Under COPPS, chief executives must focus on the visions, values, missions, and long term goals of policing in order to create an organizational environment that enables officers, government officials, and community members to work together. Middle managers lieutenants and captains have an important role also when implementing change in an agency. Middle managers can make significant contributions to the changing culture of the agency to embrace and sustain COPPS. By building on the strengths of their subordinates, capitalizing on their training and competence, and treating people as individuals they create talented teams.
The most challenging aspect of changing the culture of a police agency lies in changing the attitudes and beliefs of first-line supervisors. Supervisors must be convinced the COPPS makes good sense in today’s environments, and they should possess the characteristics of a good problem-oriented supervisor. Their responsibilities are managing time, staff, and resources, understanding and practicing problem solving, and providing officers with ongoing feedback and support. The recruitment of quality police officers is the key to the values and culture of any police organization and for the successful conduct of the COPPS strategy. For COPPS and recruiting good officers to work the agency must work together to