Many of the issues concerning the Virgin Islands and the Virgin Islands Police Department are not insular, and are certainly not unique to this territory.
One of these issues is succession planning, or the process of identifying and preparing suitable employees, through mentoring and job training, to replace key players within an organization as their terms expire. Law enforcement agencies throughout the country, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have identified a lack of succession planning as an impediment to real organizational change.
The events of September 11 compelled the FBI to reconfigure its organizational model to integrate increased counterterrorism programs, which then redefined the agency’s traditional law enforcement role. The growth and expansion of the agency to address modern-day issues brought its human capital strategy under scrutiny. A study of the Bureau commissioned by Congressman Frank Wolf, found the agency’s existing use of human capital to be “a significant obstacle to the success of its transformation efforts.”
The similarities between the FBI and the Virgin Islands Police Department are striking. Like the VIPD, the FBI does not have a systematic process to plan for its intermediate or long-term workforce needs. Staffing and recruitment initiatives at that agency have largely consisted of short-term hiring decisions, a reflection of the lack of a comprehensive succession plan and leadership development strategy.
Succession planning is generally compromised in day-to-day agency operations. For example, the need to make quick hiring decisions to fill a critical need often overlooks strategic planning and the future consistency and continuity of leadership and service. Typically, human resources planning rarely extends beyond recruitment and retirement. Little attention is paid to professional development of the workforce. Retention strategies, critical to identifying and shaping future leaders, are largely ignored, thereby resulting in fewer opportunities for promotion and advancement. It is through retention-oriented initiatives that personnel have the opportunity to move through the ranks, thus acquiring key leadership and managerial skills.
The leader of any organization has the responsibility to ensure the development of future leaders, and in so doing, ensure the consistency and delivery of programs. The development of future leaders, or succession plan, is critical to any organization’s management and stability. At the VIPD, and law enforcement agencies throughout the nation, this means training officers with the skills they will need in supervisory roles, providing regular opportunities for officers to take promotional exams, and providing officers with the chance to gain leadership experience.
Succession planning then becomes a long-term investment in the agency’s future, not a short term solution. The FBI study made several recommendations to assist the agency in developing succession planning consistent with the needs of the agency as it addresses the challenges of this millennia. The FBI was advised to establish a leadership development and succession planning program. Ideally, this program would address leadership turnover and assure the best candidates are selected for leadership posts. It was also recommended that the agency address hiring issues by developing a recruiting plan based on future needs and supported by workforce planning. It was further recommended that the agency create a Human Capital Office and hire a Chief Human Capital Officer whose responsibilities would include recruiting and hiring, performance management and training and professional development. A structured professional development and training program was also recommended.
Even before the FBI study was published, the VIPD crafted a strategic plan to steer its own progress. Incorporated in this plan were a number of significant changes in the way we do business, both externally and internally. In keeping with that plan, the Virgin Islands Police Department recently created the office of and hired a Director of Human Resources to engineer a change in the department’s process of attracting, managing and developing its human capital. The creation of this office is consistent with the department’s commitment to improving its performance through professional development and career advancement. Only through developing the abilities of our personnel and maximizing their potential can we hope to develop the leaders of tomorrow.
