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Getting Through To Command

Written by Dennis Tucker

In my 13 years as the fleet manager for the Illinois State Police, I dealt with the issues of shrinking budgets, high maintenance costs, lack of funds to replace vehicles when they are old and tired, personnel issues and bureaucracy. Of course, we have all been in the trenches doing the best job we can, but how do you get those with the money and decision-making power to listen to you and support a course of action you proposed?

It took me a while to realize that fleet managers or other employees in the agency can only do so much if they are not the policy makers. Like it or not, you can only recommend courses of action in the big picture.

On the smaller perspective, you have a great deal of power of implementing change and working within your organization to make things better. I always said I had more power than most of my command because I could make small changes that impact my “customers” without getting approval to make a poor situation better. Whereas my command was so involved with the big picture, I concentrated more on the small picture. My emphasis was always the troopers on the road. I wanted them to have safe vehicles and the tools to make their jobs better. Does that mean if I can’t give them a new car every few years, I’m not doing my job? No.

You can determine what’s giving your troops the biggest headaches regarding their cars and try to do something about it. Maybe it’s using a universal gas credit card so they can get fuel without having to drive back to their garage; maybe it’s working with local vendors to outsource oil changes or other mechanical services. Maybe this makes the officer more productive, or he doesn’t have to switch cars in order to get a simple oil change. Or maybe, you just repair a seat if the cushion has broken down so it’s more comfortable for the officer and he feels better about his vehicle.

Of course, these are things on a small scale. Looking at the big picture, it takes persistence to get a point across. I asked a good friend, Thomas Powell, the fleet manager at North Richland Hills, TX Police, to give me his take on this subject.

“Dealing with command is all about numbers and money,” he said. “The first thing is too get across that your goal is to provide the best service and vehicles with what you have to work with. Conduct meetings to find out what is important to command and what their expectations and goals are.”

When trying to get a point across, using documented facts is the most important thing, he said. Hearsay without documentation does not work. Make sure to inform all parties impacted before the implementation of a new program that is going to have a major impact on service or vehicles. This gives everyone an opportunity to discuss the overall impact on the operations. Focus on teamwork, he said.

“Don’t make a big thing out of something that is not that important,” Powell said. “Pick your battles carefully and only if [they] will have a big impact on your operation. Even when you have done your best job, you will be overruled by higher authority. Feel good about knowing you have done a good job and move on to the next task at hand. Don’t say ‘I told you so’ if the final outcome is the way you predicted.”

It is all about knowing your limitations and presenting the facts correctly the first time. It is also imperative that you know what resources are available to you and how they can support your day-to-day job. If your facts are not correct, your command personnel may not give you the same amount of attention the next time you bring a problem to them. They will probably be skeptical and may check your math / facts to make sure it’s right before they toss it up their chain of command. After all, once it leaves your hands, it becomes someone else’s property and he may have more to lose than you.

Following some or all of these steps may not get command to listen to you more, but it is all about credibility. You have to believe you are the most knowledgeable source in your agency on vehicles and related topics. You need to establish a good reputation and that you know your job. You have to gain the respect of those with whom you work and those who depend on you to be their voice in the agency. You have to know when to back off a fight and when to stand your ground. You also have to put everything in perspective and realize where vehicles fall in the whole picture.

Sure, everyone knows vehicles are important to an agency, but so are employees, a place to conduct to business, tools to keep the officers safe, and so on. Vehicles are in competition every day for the same piece of a pie for which all other managers are fighting. As gas prices increased the past five years, so too have dollars shrunk to buy new equipment because the budget is only so big. So is it more important to buy gas or buy new cars for which you can’t afford to buy gas? Just one of the many challenges you face every day.

These are the types of problems a fleet manager has to solve. Perhaps the solution is to keep vehicles longer, use vehicles with better gas mileage, and evaluate routine maintenance to make sure you’re getting the most of your current vehicles. Maybe it’s examining new ways to purchase new vehicles or sell current vehicles. Whatever you try, you have to convince the command that there are better and more efficient ways to do business. It’s when you make them see alternatives with benefits, they’ll listen to you and consider your proposals.

Most important is having a good rapport with your command staff. Don’t make every conversation gloom and doom with them. Discuss what’s good with the program and how employees are accepting something minor you may have implemented. What you think is minor may be a big improvement to the command staff. Put yourself in their shoes and think like them once in awhile. It will give you a whole new perspective and one that just may open the door for you.

Dennis Tucker recently retired as police fleet manager for the Illinois State Police with 29 years of public service experience. He is chairman of the Police Fleet Expo hosted by the Hendon Expo Group. He can be reached at DTucker@hendonpub.com.