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Supervisory Roles, Responsibilities and Workload <br /> <br />The patrol division has sixteen sergeants, each in charge of a team of patrol officers. <br />The span of control for patrol sergeants is typically six to ten officers. Many <br />departments around the country will allow a patrol span of control ten to twelve. <br />Patrol work group size is more often a product of the number of officers needed to <br />patrol a district (or other geographic area) than an attempt to replicate an ideal span <br />of control. Span of control is also impacted by the other duties assigned to <br />supervisors that might keep them from strictly overseeing their officers. <br /> <br />Many of the officers, supervisors, and managers interviewed reported that patrol <br />sergeants are often so consumed by administrative and other supervisory duties, <br />they rarely can be available on the street to respond to calls with their subordinates. <br />Complaints of this nature are not new or unique to Eugene. As community policing <br />empowered officers and expanded the role of police patrol, it also expanded the <br />responsibilities of patrol sergeants. Overseeing problem solving initiatives, <br />coordinating with other agencies, ensuring an effective flow of information, <br />addressing emails, sitting on committees, training issues, and conducting internal <br />and performance related investigations among other responsibilities consume <br />formerly uncommitted time. In Eugene, the absence of a fully staffed IA unit causes <br />supervisors to be far more involved with the completion of internal investigations <br />than in most agencies. Other than the most serious and criminal offences, infractions <br />are investigated by the subject officer's supervisor. Some personnel estimate that <br />patrol sergeants in Eugene have as little as fifteen percent of their time available for <br />direct supervision. <br /> <br />A strong desire was expressed by most supervisors to do their job well and to meet <br />the department's expectations. However, to reach their full capacity, new and <br />veteran supervisors require training. Leadership training is made available for <br />newly promoted supervisors, but many complain it is minimal as is follow-up <br /> <br /> 66 <br /> <br /> <br />