Berry and his "Train Wrecks"

Recently APD's struggling and spiteful police chief, Ray Schultz, lashed out at critics who offered fair and impersonal criticisms of where he has brung the state's largest police force during his tenure. Schultz attacked them for not being knowledgeable of police matters because they were too far removed from the department, or were of lower rank than he (typical Schultz fascism), or were biased. Of course Schultz failed to refute any of the facts offered against him; in typical “Schultzian style,” instead he just attacked the person.

Berry announced yesterday that he intends on running for re-election. In a statement to Channel 7 News, Berry stated, “We’ve got the train on the track if you will, and now we need to get it down the track.” We here at the Eye do not believe Berry should be talking about his "train wrecks" as if a train wreck is a good  thing; Berry and all of his "train wrecks" are a "BAD THING." There are two problems here: one, Berry is the one who caused the train to go off the track in the first place. Two, so now he put the train on the tracks only to cause a horrific wreck for the citizens of Albuquerque.  This is the worst parable Berry has ever used. We wonder if that hissy snake (McCluskey) gave Berry this bad idea?

Way to go Berry…Now an example of Berry’s most popular “train wrecks.”

Since we know so many people in Berry's office, APD and the media read the beloved Eye, we thought we'd relay some facts from some people who seem to know a lot about police leadership....the FBI National Academy. Since Schultz and many of his minions are graduates of the FBI's National Academy, surely they wouldn't refute some of the findings in a recent study entitled "The Ineffective Police Leader: Acts of Commission and Omission" by Joseph Schafer.

You see, folks and attendees at the National Academy have a lot of time on their hands to study police leadership and they get to meet a lot of police leaders from across the United States. In doing so, they've identified several dominant themes of an ineffective police leader. From the report it notes:

FOCUS ON SELF OVER OTHERS: They have failed to be mindful of their current duties, what was in the long term best interests of the office they currently hold, and the human needs of the personnel they supervised. They fail because they are not concerned about others and more focused on themselves....

EGO/ARROGANCE: They have an inflated sense of self importance and display it. They adopt an attitude of "my way or the highway." Their near absolute belief in their own opinions and judgments... What keeps them from being effective is they cannot see their own faults and accept responsibility for those faults.

CLOSED MINDED: These leaders seem unable or unwilling to listen to other perspectives, opinions, or voices. They fail to examine issues from all sides and fail to consider unintended consequences.

MICROMANAGEMENT: Ineffective leaders are far too autocratic and fail to delegate when appropriate and fear when subordinates would outshine the chief's own accomplishments. Micromanagement is a reflection of lack of self-confidence. The more micromanagement the more lack of self-confidence becomes.

CAPRICIOUS/POLITICAL: Arbitrary and capricious in how they make decisions with no baseline from which subordinate can work off of is evident. They do not adhere to a systematic approach. They tend to put personal relationships ahead of what is right, just, and lawful. Ineffective leaders foster a climate where officers do not know where they stand and cannot be counted on in times of controversy.

POOR WORK ETHIC: Ineffective leaders do not model the type of work or ethic they hold others to. They are ROD (retired on duty) or RIP (retired in place). They fail to lead by example and their actions undermine their credibility.

FAILURE TO ACT: They are expected to live up to their label--to lead. They frequently refuse to make a decision, or omit a decision. In cases of controversy such a failure to act reflects their closed mindedness.

INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: An inability or unwillingness to participate in two-way dialogue and a failure to accept input or criticism. Feel little need to seek out the input of others. This is also reflective of arrogance and closed mindedness. They believe they don't have to rationalize their beliefs and get offended if challenged.

LACK OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: An inability to understand or appreciate the human needs and motivations of those they sought to influence. They struggle to know their officers and tend to their welfare as individuals and as a collective. They are distant, detached, and disinterested in knowing their officers as person but merely look at them as numbers. Their actions are not in alignment with their words.

LACK OF INTEGRITY: Actions that abrogate the public's trust are a corrosive force on the capacity of the police to achieve desired outcomes. A leader's ability includes being viewed as trustworthy, honest, and ethical. Trust and respect once lost remains difficult to recapture.

As a Precinct Commander in a large county agency noted: “In most cases they were ineffective officers to begin with but somehow got promoted. They do not pay attention to what goes on around them, they do not set the example, they lack interest, motivation, and dedication. They fail to recognize when something is wrong and correct the problem. They don't lead.”

We at the Eye cannot say that any one of us have been the chief of the Albuquerque Police Department, but we do know a thing or two about a lot of things Ray Schultz knows nothing about. One of those things is what leadership is: The capacity to move a group to an improved and alternative position.

Given where APD was when Raymond Schultz took over as its chief in 2005 and where APD is now, could there be any questions that he is an ineffective leader by definition?

 

We know RayRay hates it when the Eye or the media gets in his "Grill." The real problem for RayRay is, the public is entitled to know the truth; get over it Schultz.

(We know Schultz could care less about our comments even though they come from people who have forgotten more about leadership than he's ever known. But for those interested in reading this excellent report, go HERE.)

With Paul Heh as Mayor you will never see another train wreck. This story clearly shows why you should VOTE Heh into the Office of the Mayor. Heh has all the qualities and characteristic of a true and solid leader.