Teams-Groups-Task Forces in Law Enforcement: The Wave of the Future

Teams, groups, and task forces in law enforcement agencies are becoming progressively more significant as a greater number of agencies have gained experience with their use. The goal of this text is to bring to reality the importance of teams to police managers, operational personnel, and members of the community. Learning objectives appear at the beginning of each chapter that will allow the reader to grasp the complexity and intricacy of these teams. The book contains helpful information to gain essential knowledge about groups in an organization with emphasis on teams, groups, and task forces in law enforcement. This is followed by a chapter on leadership and the leader, including the leadership continuum concept. Of special interest are chapters that address commitment, accountability, and team performance which serve as a basis for the behavioral and social skills needed to integrate and foster the creation of a real team. This is the glue that holds the team together and guides it in such a way that tasks are accomplished, which is an essential ingredient of human resource management. Other topics include professional growth, developmental skills techniques, emphatic team communication, motivation and inspiring team members, the operating environment, logic models and problem solving for teams, and the application of the principles of assessment. In addition, the questions/discussion at the end of each chapter provides a concise and up-to-date integration of the chapter content and brings together a practical and operational approach that is clearly useful and informative. Law enforcement professionals, policymakers, investigators and the general public will find the book to be a significant resource in the development of teams, groups, and task forces.