Law Enforcement Succession Planning

Law enforcement organizations face crises in many capacities which can consist of responding to emergencies or administrative in nature. A business organization must plan for sudden changes in top level management positions to sustain an operation for continued success and production. Law enforcement must also seek solutions to adopt stability and coaching for essential positions and leadership positions to combat the shrinking workforce in the law enforcement field. Most law enforcement agencies do not have a succession plan in place to plan for future stability. Law enforcement agencies should adapt succession plans for future stability. The significance of this research is to convince law enforcement personnel and stakeholders the importance of adapting succession plans which reinforce the leadership process, increase potential for retaining essential personnel, and prepares agencies for unexpected changes. There is empirical evidence that supports adopting succession planning and literature that argues the importance of succession planning. Law enforcement can benefit from having a succession plan by creating pathways to retain essential personnel and enforce an effective leadership process which attracts future candidates from various workforce generations.