Dave, when you become president of the FOP can we still be friends?” This question, from an assistant chief in October 2021, stopped me dead in my tracks. I was part of our negotiating team, and we were smack-dab in the middle of especially tense biennial MOU talks. Things had become, well, heated. It was public knowledge that our lodge president would be retiring the following year and our executive board had given me the nod to fulfill the remainder of her term. And so there I was, in a casual parking garage conversation with one of our ACs, when he dropped this one on me.

I was frozen. The answer was already in my heart, so that wasn’t the issue. It’s just that reality checks can lock the best of us up sometimes. My life was about to change. I would be leading 300 or so cops — dedicated men and women deserving of strong, qualified labor representation. Was I up to it?

Truthfully, I felt more confident with my answer to the AC’s question. “Of course,” I told him. “What, am I supposed to pretend that I haven’t known you for 20 years? That we didn’t work cases together as detectives? That we haven’t been friends throughout our careers?” The smile he gave me was as sincere as it was big. I wasn’t convinced that I wouldn’t be a total flop as a labor leader, but at least if I failed, it wouldn’t be because I’m a phony.

Respecting the fact that investigators and executive management naturally have a different perspective can help keep you focused.

Fast-forward three years. I’ve been elected twice to lead our local FOP lodge. Our membership has grown by about 30%. We are thriving financially and doing good things on the community service front. We have built strong, professional relationships with city leadership, who I believe appreciate the benefits of my labor release position and view it as an investment in our officers and police department. Local media are interested in our progress and regularly run stories to highlight our contributions to the community. Our members are enjoying the fruits of a new MOU with a market-leading compensation package, including what we believe is a first-of-its kind “Career Patrol Incentive” to financially recognize officers who choose patrol as a career path. And relationships with our chief and assistant chiefs remain both professional and friendly.

So, yeah, we’re in a good groove with our police management. And I believe this has only enhanced our ability to move forward as a law enforcement labor organization. I could be wrong. None of this is science; maybe we’re just lucky. But if you’re a LEO labor organization leader who is working toward positive relationships with your police management, let me share some approaches that have worked for us.

Work to solve problems at the lowest levels possible

If you lead a law enforcement labor organization, you are no doubt inundated with complaints. Your members will run into problems, and it’s your job to resolve them if you can. Of course, some problems need to be taken directly to your executive management. But in most cases, problems can be resolved at lower levels of the command chain. When diagnosing problems, try to establish who is empowered to work toward a resolution. I find that most problems can be resolved at the sergeant or lieutenant level. Once the problem is resolved, resist the urge to report to your chief a wrongheaded decision by a supervisor or subordinate manager unless absolutely necessary. Ensure that supervisors and managers subordinate to the chief know that you aren’t throwing them under the bus after they work toward a resolution. This approach may yield the following positive results:

• It builds trust among supervisors and subordinate managers, and it motivates them to work with you.
• Problems in many cases are resolved more quickly.
• When you go to your executive management with issues, you will likely have their full attention if you have built a reputation for going to them only with the “big stuff.”
• Your executive management will begin to encourage supervisors and subordinate managers to work with you to resolve problems (chiefs, after all, are busy enough).

Administrative investigations: Focus on process, not personalities

Officers in our jurisdiction enjoy a peace officer bill of rights codified into state law. This provides them the right to peer representation during inquiries that could result in discipline. They also have appeal rights should police management pursue suspension or termination based on the conclusions of administrative investigations. As the leader of our LEO labor organization, a big part of my job is peer representation. I help my members navigate administrative investigations and potential disciplinary outcomes. 

This advocacy role routinely places me on the “other side of the ball” with respect to police management and their outlook on this process. Look, I view the world from a different perspective than our chiefs do. As administrative investigations unfold, you might say I’m at ground level helping the individual member work through the process and come to grips with potential discipline. Sure, I can get emotionally attached to these cases. It’s my job, and I care about these officers. But I also recognize that our chiefs have to be operating at 30,000 feet, thinking about how the consequences of police misconduct can impact a department of 430 police officers. Things are less emotional and more pragmatic at high altitude. This is where the rubber meets the road in my world when it comes to administrative investigations. It can be a tug of war between these two different and necessary perspectives. Here are some best practices that may help you as you advocate for your members during administrative investigations:

• Fight for your members passionately, not angrily — respecting the fact that investigators and executive management naturally have a different perspective can help keep you focused.
• Work toward mutual respect for and adherence to the process that guides your administrative investigations.
• Don’t let things become personal.
• If you believe your member is being treated unjustly, don’t hesitate to initiate frank dialogue with executive management, who often have the final say when it comes to disciplinary outcomes. My chiefs expect me to come to them when things are screwed up. But don’t abuse these opportunities. Save these meetings for situations that truly warrant this level of intervention.

Meet regularly

Request and plan regular meetings with executive leadership to discuss issues. LEO labor organization leaders can provide important insights to chiefs of police regarding the temperature of things on the ground. Approach these meetings from a problem-solving perspective. This is not the time for hostility. Executive leadership should want to hear from you, and you should want to hear from them. The focus should be on improving the department. The following is how we approach these meetings:

• Formally, we meet at least monthly.
• A week prior, provide an agenda with a list of topics to discuss.
• Don’t focus solely on the negative; it’s important to also discuss the wins and thank executive leadership for them.
• Approach these meetings with a professional, businesslike mindset.
• In addition to asking management for relief on various topics, make sure to ask them if there is anything you can do to help them advance their departmental goals.
• Assist with the flow of information downward, from management to your members, when appropriate.
• Request an open-door policy with management to resolve issues that arise in between meetings. Pop in on them frequently, even if it’s just to ask them if there is anything they need from you. This is where relationships can really begin to flourish.

Naturally, I don’t always agree with our executive leadership. At times, they may even view me as a bit of a pain in the ass. But I think they appreciate the fact that I take my advocacy role seriously and that our department sees a payoff in the form of increased employee morale because of that. We understand that good people can and will have different perspectives and that as long as we are focusing on the process, things shouldn’t become personal. We are fortunate to have executive management who believe in these principles, and I don’t hide the fact that I have positive relationships with them. The informal conversations we share, sometimes in the parking garage or maybe in an office late in the afternoon, can be the highlight of my day. I couldn’t deny this even if I wanted to. Like I said, I’m no phony.