4 'future leaders' promoted to police sergeant

FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville Police Chief Greg Tabor outlined the qualities of a good leader Tuesday during a promotion ceremony for four new supervisors.

Officers Craig Stout, Paul Shepard, Chris Moad and Creston Mackey were promoted to the position of sergeant after completing a series of written tests and oral interviews administered by the department.

"You are looking at future leaders of the Fayetteville Police Department, so not only is this an important day for them but for the department and the city as a whole," Tabor said prior to pinning badges on the newly appointed supervisors. "They have come into their positions at one of the most challenging times ever. The police department is currently going through some of the biggest changes ever, and of course with the current economic conditions, it makes everyone's job more difficult."

Earlier this year, Tabor developed a new shift schedule to increase the number of Fayetteville police officers patrolling city streets, without increasing the cost. The change,which went into effect Sept. 7, mandates that each officer work six 12-hour shifts and one eight-hour shift within a twoweek period, instead of working four 10-hour shifts eachweek. Tabor said the schedule change aims at increasing the department's efficiency without increasing cost.

With more officers on each shift, he said, supervisors will have added responsibilities. In addition to being resourceful, rewarding and respectable, he said, they must be willing to learn from others and analyze the nature of leadership to consider the attitudes, skills and values associated with the challenge of leadership.

"We have all read the books and attended the seminars that talk about the theories of leadership, but we all know that does not mean anything unless you learn to apply those theories," Tabor said. "Leadership is intensely personal and will be affected by your individual psychology, your life experiences and your training."

In addition to completing both oral and written exams, candidates for sergeant must have demonstrated at least five years of continuous service to the police department.

"To tell you the truth, I felt like my son on the first day of kindergarten," Stout said of his first day on the job as sergeant. "At first, I was really nervous about it, but since then I've settled in and become a lot more comfortable."

As new leaders in the department, Tabor said all four sergeants should be responsible for identifying the direction needed for the department and creating a vision to achieve it - providing a plan of action and staying the course.

"[Leadership] emerges in times of crisis and as a part of ordinary events," he said. "We all know that a leader can emerge from a situation or group in the most unexpected ways, and that is not necessarily the person designated in charge. Observe any crime scene or community crisis and how people respond, and you will see natural leadership being shown by individuals "