External Experience Paper

Outer Experience Our chief was recently promoted from major to the position of chief. While a major, he was responsible for supervising the patrol unit. When the chief was promoted to his current position, a captain was placed in charge of the patrol division. The captain and the chief have very different management styles. This past week, one of the officers I supervise was involved in an accident while on a code run to assist another officer in distress. The responding officer approached a busy intersection and proceeded through the red signal, but only after stopping to make sure cross-traffic was going to stop for him. As the officer made his way slowly across the intersection, a vehicle in another lane of cross-traffic struck the officer’s patrol vehicle. While the only injuries sustained were minor, there was a significant amount of damage to the patrol vehicle. Following my investigation of the accident, I concluded the officer was in compliance with state statutes governing emergency response and the other driver failed to yield to an emergency vehicle. After I

The chief often stresses the “chain of command” and its importance to efficient operations. In this case, the concept of unity of command was sidestepped by the chief. The captain and I had reached a decision we believed was sound. Although our reasoning was sound, ethical, and did not violate any law or regulations, the chief still chose to force us to alter our finding. In doing so, the chief blurred the lines of the captain’s and my authority, roles, and functions. It became necessary for the captain and I to abandon what we believed was right to maintain a unified front with the