Greetings,
It has been an emotional month given our various memorial services at the local, state and national levels. This annual time of remembrance and honor is compounded when we must place the name of one of our own on our wall of honor. However, during this time of reflection, we come together to not only remember our past but commit to moving forward collectively in the future. As part of honoring our history while moving our profession forward we must individually focus on constantly learning, improving and advancing. We are blessed to have a large metro agency that allows for specialization in the patrol and investigative positions such as the Master Patrol Officer and Master Detective designations and we are proud of those who have fulfilled the requisite training and experience for such recognition. Our department and our city are better for it.
Just as important, is our collective need for active participation in our merit promotional processes. The vitality of our police departments rely upon the backbone of these agencies which undoubtedly are our patrol officers. However, our various policing functions rely daily upon solid, well developed supervision in the many Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain positions. At this time, the IMPD is quickly approaching the deadline for application to the latest merit promotional process. This comes at a time when the IMPD is experiencing a substantial transition through bulk retirements where hundreds of years of experience are regularly leaving the IMPD.
Thus, there has rarely been a time when a merit promotional process has been of such critical importance. Our FOP has actively monitored and been engaged with the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who have crafted the structure of this current process. It is important to note these SMEs are your peers who serve in these supervisory positions, they know what real world skills, knowledge and aptitudes are for these positions and they have signed waivers to not participate in the upcoming process to avoid any conflicts of interest. As a witness to the development of this process, I have confidence in its objectives and the overall process. As a result, I encourage everyone who is eligible to consider participating in this process. Some may believe they are not ready or that the idea of promotion places them outside their comfort zones. That is absolutely normal and it is part of career development. Remember, the only constant in law enforcement is CHANGE and substantial change is going to occur in the very near future simply due to attrition.
So, I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to take the next step in your merit career. Regardless of the outcome, the process is well worth the experience and will serve you well in future endeavors. Our FOP consistently advocates for merit positions and due process for all, but the merit system does not reach its full potential unless there is active participation by all those eligible. To all those who choose to take on this challenge, I wish you the best and thank you for leading the way to moving forward the IMPD and the City of Indianapolis.
Fraternally,
Rick Snyder, President
|