Leading Beyond Tradition: A Breakthrough Strategy for Law Enforcement
By William E. Cooper, Chief of Police (ret.)
3 – Star Publishing (2005)
Reviewed by Bette Daoust, Ph.D. for Reader Views (3/06)

Although I do not have any experience in law enforcement, I have come to appreciate all that the Police do for our society. It is through many struggles, budget cuts, and lack of resources that we tend to criticize inadequacy and lack of response from those enforcing the law. The real meaning of law enforcement is often wrapped in political rhetoric that stymies the police force that we so need to make sure we are free from harm.

I have been in corporate America for a number of years and have dealt with problems of communication, budget, and working with thinly populated teams. The struggle to gain profits while maintain effectiveness and efficiency is always a challenge. This challenge is further complicated when you add layers of customers to the mix. In policing, the customers range from residents in prisons, victims of crime, perpetrators, to government officials, reporting hierarchies, the courts, and the people of this nation. No other type of organization has these complications to the same extent as in Policing.

Mr. Cooper’s book takes into account all of the customers and the internal staff to bring to the forefront salient issues that affect us all. His insight on how to implement strategies such as Six Sigma and The Balanced Scorecard into the traditional organizational structure of policing is insightful and his ideas bring about results. He delves into process mapping, problem solving, and handling the limits of budget and resources. His study of the 911 system and the impact of its use for emergency and more often non-emergency calls bring home the fact that Policing is bursting at the seams with calls that are non-relevant.

His comments on the use of volunteers show that these volunteers can help alleviate some of the non-emergency problems. Mr. Cooper’s case studies illustrate how some crimes are committed and even though there are witnesses, no one called the police because they deem that the police are too busy. The case discussed further illustrates the need for citizens to form liaisons with the police in order to reduce the amount of crime in any particular neighborhood. His case studies show that policing is like any organization, it needs to be systemized and made efficient in order to be more effective.

Even if you are not into policing, this book is a good read for anyone considering implementing strategies such as Six Sigma and The Balanced Scorecard. The book was so interesting; it was difficult to put down.