Replacing the Police Chief
Case 1
Replacing the Police Chief
This case study examines the predicament of a city manager Will Spanning whose selection of a most experienced and qualified replacement for the chief of police faced stern opposition by a majority of an agenda-seeking city council who had the power to confirm or reject the appointment.
Question 1: What were the advantages and risks involved in pursuing Spanning’s recruitment plan?
Spanning’s recruitment plan was a thorough, comprehensive, and systematic strategy to procure the most appropriate and qualified individual for the position of police chief. It was a plan that provided checks and balances, allotted for contingencies and was multi-tier in evaluating each candidate’s experience and background. It consisted of four stages of consideration. The first of these was an initial screening of respondents to the advertisement to identify candidates with the most potential and promise. Spanning had assembled a review board consisting of five professionals in the areas of management and law enforcement and those selected from the initial screening were interviewed and ranked by the board. Based on the review board’s rankings, Spanning then personally interviewed the finalist with focus on issues of compensation and more importantly compatibility between he and that individual. This was important because Spanning and soon to be resigning Police Chief Johnson had previously formed a healthy professional alliance that encouraged compromise and negotiation in matters relating to municipal issues and resource allocation rather than conflict and cut-throat politics. In addition to Spanning’s personal interview, he also conducted a comprehensive background check of the candidate and subsequently offered them the position. Finally, the appointee would be interviewed and later confirmed by the city council or the search process would begin again at square one. The process was advantageous because
Replacing the Police Chief
This case study examines the predicament of a city manager Will Spanning whose selection of a most experienced and qualified replacement for the chief of police faced stern opposition by a majority of an agenda-seeking city council who had the power to confirm or reject the appointment.
Question 1: What were the advantages and risks involved in pursuing Spanning’s recruitment plan?
Spanning’s recruitment plan was a thorough, comprehensive, and systematic strategy to procure the most appropriate and qualified individual for the position of police chief. It was a plan that provided checks and balances, allotted for contingencies and was multi-tier in evaluating each candidate’s experience and background. It consisted of four stages of consideration. The first of these was an initial screening of respondents to the advertisement to identify candidates with the most potential and promise. Spanning had assembled a review board consisting of five professionals in the areas of management and law enforcement and those selected from the initial screening were interviewed and ranked by the board. Based on the review board’s rankings, Spanning then personally interviewed the finalist with focus on issues of compensation and more importantly compatibility between he and that individual. This was important because Spanning and soon to be resigning Police Chief Johnson had previously formed a healthy professional alliance that encouraged compromise and negotiation in matters relating to municipal issues and resource allocation rather than conflict and cut-throat politics. In addition to Spanning’s personal interview, he also conducted a comprehensive background check of the candidate and subsequently offered them the position. Finally, the appointee would be interviewed and later confirmed by the city council or the search process would begin again at square one. The process was advantageous because
Cited: Banovetz, James M. Managing Local Government: Cases in Decision Making 2nd edition International City/County Management Assoiciation., Washington, D.C., 1998.