the LAPD
According to Chief Williams (personal communication, 1994), leaders in law enforcement need experience and background in the field. In business, it is possible to bring a manager or leader from one industry into another, and have the management or leadership skills that they possess translate into the new industry. Some leaders in particular can be effective in many different industries. However, law enforcement is a unique environment where decisions are made by line personnel that not only have financial ramifications to the department and community (wrong decisions can lead to lawsuits), but which affect the lives of the individuals in the community and the officer's peers. The result is an environment that requires managers and leaders who are familiar with the challenges and difficulties faced by officers on the street as well as with the intricacies of the political situation surrounding any department.
Williams also considers that leaders must also be visionaries, able to
...