Police Sworn 2 Honor

Overview

Police Sworn to Honor (S2H) is a Performance Accountability System. It’s about transforming traditional law enforcement into a high-performance, data-driven operation that prioritizes accountability, active engagement, and the efficient and effective use of productive work time.

This means S2H is:

Lawful. Principles and practices are drawn from employment laws. This includes Constitutional, Civil, Statutory, Employment, and Contract laws.

Empowering. Rules and regulations are minimized by categorizing them as sub-divisions of finite values. This gives officers who have proven themselves willing and capable of innovating unique responses to the infinite circumstances they encounter daily.

Objective. The focus is on the outcomes of officers’ decisions and behaviors. Outcomes are qualitatively and objectively measurable.

Fair. Procedural justice (e.g., due process and just cause) and Distributive justice (a meritocracy based on performance) are combined to ensure all have a fair opportunity and equal process for success, and their contributions are recognized and rewarded in proportion to their input and outcomes.

Personal Accountability. Officers are held personally accountable by accepting responsibility for their decisions and actions.

In-Depth

"Rules without relationships lead to rebellion." Josh McDowell[1]

Police Sworn to Honor develops relationships based on commitments and exemplary conduct, emphasizing adherence to the values and behaviors pledged by every commissioned law enforcement officer. Employment inherently establishes an integrity commitment for both sworn and non-sworn personnel.

Structural Foundation

Laws and management science principles and practices give S2H its operational authority.

1.     American Common Law provides the historical foundation.

2.     Constitutional Law is embedded in the officer’s Oath of Office and Code of Ethics.

3.     Employment Discrimination Laws ensure all have a fair opportunity to succeed.

4.     Work Ethics Laws create a harmonious culture of reasonableness and fair dealing.

5.     Contract Law establishes mutual obligations.

Management Science

Promise-based management is a concept that emphasizes the importance of making and keeping commitments within an organization. It is based on the idea that an organization is essentially a network of promises made between employers, employees, and the public. Organizations can enhance coordination, cooperation, and overall best-effort performance by systematically cultivating and coordinating these commitments.

The key elements of promise-based management:

• Personal and public accountability

• Actively and openly managed and monitored performance

• Voluntarily made to ensure personal and lasting commitment

• Explicit to avoid misunderstanding and ensure clarity

• Mission-oriented to align promises, conduct, and behavior with organizational values

The process of promise-based management involves three phases:

Achieving a meeting of minds: Ensuring all parties understand the promise and its implications.

Making it happen: Executing the promise and delivering on commitments.

Closing the loop: Publicly acknowledging whether the promise has been fulfilled or not.

By practicing promise-based management, leaders create a productive and reliable workforce, improve organizational agility, and build trust among employees and the public.

Core Values and Principles

Integrity and Accountability: Focusing on the promises made in the Oath of Office and Code of Ethics, Sworn to Honor (S2H) emphasizes the importance of integrity and accountability. Sworn and non-sworn members are held to the highest work ethics standards, ensuring that their decisions, conduct, and behavior align with the ethical principles they are committed to.

Commitment to Service: The system reinforces the obligation to serve and protect the community. It ensures that officers and staff remain dedicated to their duties and responsibilities, strengthening trust and respect within the agency and community.

Ethical Performance Metrics: Unlike traditional performance metrics focusing solely on quantitative outcomes, S2H incorporates ethical performance measures. This includes evaluating how well officers and members adhere to the moral standards and principles outlined in their Oath of Office and Professional Code of Ethics.

Continuous Improvement: Members hold themselves accountable by reflecting on their actions and making the necessary adjustments to consistently uphold their promises.

Community Engagement

Transparency and Communication: Sworn to Honor promotes transparency and open communication between the police force and the community. Officers build stronger relationships with their community by demonstrating a commitment to ethical behavior.

Community Feedback: S2H incorporates community feedback to ensure agencies remain responsive to the public's needs and concerns. This creates a more collaborative and trusting relationship between agencies and their communities.

Model Components and Receivables

Copyright permission is for the exclusive use of the purchasing agency, only.

All model components contain boilerplate wording with fill-in and expanding space for adapting the components to agencies' specifics. Microsoft’s 365 software is the only software needed.

The S2H model is divided into three sections. Sections are interrelated.

Section One: Governing Directives

1.     Vision Statement

2.     Mission Statement

3.     Just Know Standards

4.     Job Descriptions

Section Two: Measures and Measurements

1. Two MS-Excel Measurement Programs

2. One Productive Use of Directed and Self-directed Work Time Program

Section Three: Performance Accountability System

1. One Discipline Penalty Assessment MS-Excel Program

2. Two Policies

1. Performance Improvement Planning Policy

2. Non-monetary Meritocracy Policy

Current Model System Forms

S2H FRM 00 Use of S2H Forms

S2H FRM 01 Belief Values Future

S2H FRM 02 Letter of Honor

S2H FRM 03 Mission Accomplishment

S2H FRM 04 Performance Improvement Notice

S2H FRM 05 Fact-Finding Analysis

S2H FRM 05.01 Fact-Finding Diagram

S2H FRM 06 Critical Incident Report

S2H FRM 07 Self-governed Performance Improvement Commitment

S2H FRM 08 Governed Performance Improvement Commitment

S2H FRM 09 System Diagram

Current Model MS_Excel Programs

S2H PGM 01 Discipline Penalty Assessment Rating program

S2H PGM 02 Non-Scheduled Absenteeism and Preventable Performance Error Rating program

S2H PGM 03 Performance Efficiency Rating program

Current Model Job Descriptions

Sworn Positions

S2H JDS 00 Job Description Template

S2H JDS 01 First-in-Executive Command (e.g., Chief, Sheriff, Director)

S2H JDS 02 Second-In-Executive Command (e.g., Chief Deputy, Deputy Chief)

S2H JDS 03 Third-In-Executive Command (e.g., Majors, Colonels)

S2H JDS 04 Operational Command (e.g. Captains, Lieutenants)

S2H JDS 05 First-Line Supervisors (e.g., Sergeants, Corporals)

S2H JDS 06 First Responders (e.g., Officers, Deputy

S2H JDS 07 Specially Positions (Detective, K9, Firearms)

Model Job Descriptions Non-sworn Personnel

S2H JDNS 01 Communications Supervisor

S2H JDNS 02 Executive Assistant

Investing in Performance Efficiency

S2H operates on the fundamental principle in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), i.e., “A fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.” This means employees with comparable jobs and salaries can be expected to have comparative Performance Efficiency Ratings.

Let's put this into economic terms with some additional context for accuracy.

Given:

• Employee A has a performance efficiency rating of 80%.

• Employee B has a performance efficiency rating of 20%.

Employee B has caused a loss of $40,000 in work effort.

First, we can deduce that the efficiency rating is directly related to the value of work produced compared to the expected output. Assuming both employees are expected to produce the same value of work at 100% efficiency:

• Employee A produces work valued at 80% efficiency.

• Employee B produces work valued at 20% efficiency.

If the agency has incurred a loss of $40,000 due to Employee B's inefficiency, we can express the situation like this:

Economic Analysis:

• At 100% efficiency, Employee B should have contributed $50,000 worth of work.

• Since Employee B is operating at 20% efficiency, their actual contribution is $10,000 (20% of $50,000).

• Therefore, the shortfall in Employee B's productivity is $40,000 ($50,000 - $10,000), which is the cost of inefficiency.

• So, in economic terms, Employee B's inefficiency has resulted in a $40,000 loss, as they only produced 20% of the expected work value while being compensated for the full expected output. This underscores the economic impact of varying efficiency levels on overall productivity and financial health of an agency.

While no agency, large or small, can afford such a loss, too many agencies have one or more 20 percenters.

An investment in Sworn to Honor: $4,500 (Small to Average Size Agencies)

Includes:

• All S2H materials and copyright permission to use them for the purchasing agency only.

• Three months of online implementation consultation

• One-year subscription to new updates and additions to the Sworn to Honor Learning Center.

• This additional point highlights the value and comprehensive support that comes with investing in Sworn to Honor for small to average-sized agencies.

Contact: Van Meter and Associates, Inc.

Phone: 1.800.331.8025   9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Email: vanmeterassociates@att.net

Researcher and Author

 Donald J. Van Meter, Ph.D., is a distinguished specialist in Human Performance Technology and the owner of Van Meter and Associates, Inc., based in Upper Arlington, Ohio. With a commendable background that includes service in the U.S. Army and a 15-year tenure as an Ohio State Patrol Trooper, Sergeant, and Lieutenant at the Patrol Academy, Dr. Van Meter brings a wealth of experience to his field.

A graduate of The Ohio State University, Dr. Van Meter earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees specializing in American Labor Relations, organizational development, human resources management, and human performance technology. He was recognized with the prestigious 'Pacesetter' award from the College of Business.

Dr. Van Meter has trained thousands of officers across the nation in police use of deadly force and has served as an expert witness in civil trials and arbitration hearings. He has also collaborated with numerous agencies nationwide to enhance police management operations and performance, and authored the book, Evaluating Dysfunctional Police Performance, published by Charles Thomas, Springfield, Ill. He live in Upper Arlington, Ohio.

[1] Josh McDowell is a well-known Christian apologist, evangelist, and author.