Equipment Management’s Role in Homeland Security
When some of us think of the people working within the field of Homeland Security, we might imagine their most visible role: operations. As a long time police officer, I spent the beginning of my career thinking that is was patrol operations that defined our discipline. I felt that they did the heavy lifting and the value of other divisions did not come close. My mindset changed when I was assigned the management of the motor vehicle fleet.
The inner workings of agencies that support homeland security functions are extremely more dynamic than their cover posters and recruiting videos. There are other departments, many functioning behind the scenes, that support operations in one way or another. Administrative support, long-term planning, strategic analysis and other workplace functions just don’t seem to get the same attention. They’re not as sexy but they cannot be overlooked. In fact, a common error made by many departments is to assume that supplemental tasks do not require the same attention to detail as operations. I made this mistake as an equipment manager, and learned that everyone has a responsibility when it comes to taking care of our tools.
DHS law enforcement, firefighters, local police and other first responders have thousands of dollars in equipment on their belts, and they drive around in cars that have tens of thousands of dollars in upgrades. However, at some departments the manager of this equipment does little to maintain records of where gear is assigned and how well it is maintained. In today’s economy, the need to effectively manage equipment is imperative. The good news is that it can be done with minimal effort if it is made a priority. How can departments accomplish this goal? One quick solution: Departments can use equipment management systems to help them efficiently and effectively control their inventory.
Public service equipment comes in all shapes and sizes, each with a unique set of challenges. From vehicles to radios, stun guns to hand guns, all the gear is expensive and must be monitored in some fashion. Managing this equipment can be overwhelming and employees who take on this challenge might not know where to start. The first step an equipment coordinator should take is to embrace the concept of transparency.
Equipment managers—or anyone else that has had to manage an inventory—should look at the employees around them as customers. The best way to manage the equipment under their authority is to have each customer acting on their behalf. In other words, if you develop a system to manage your equipment based on the needs of your agency but don’t communicate those needs to your customer, you will struggle to meet those needs. However, if your goals are transparent and information on how you manage your equipment is accessible to all customers, they will purposefully strive to help you meet those goals. When the rubber meets the road — literally in the case of vehicle fleets — most well-informed customers will work with the equipment manager to help reach the goals of the department.
I learned the importance of transparent communication firsthand when I took over the police vehicle fleet management duties in 2009. Initially, my biggest challenge was communicating life cycle needs to the customers. Police officers in Everett — a medium-sized agency in Washington State with several hundred police vehicles — were driving around in the newest cars in the fleet, leaving the older cars sitting in the precinct parking lot. That made for a big problem when it came to cycling older equipment out of service. In Everett, like at other agencies that support homeland security functions, there are mileage requirements that help determine the end of the vehicle’s life. The vehicle must reach 100,000 miles before it can be pulled from service and replaced with a newer model.
We began actively communicating this requirement to supervisors across the department. We also assigned newer officers to older cars, and e-mailed them with reminders that getting 100,000 miles on their car was the quickest way to a cruiser upgrade. By embracing a transparent communication model, we were able to improve the average age of the fleet by 2 years.
Transparency is not the only requirement to effective equipment management, but it is a good start. In addition, equipment managers need to have the authority within their division to make important decisions regarding inventory. This authority might not be granted by administration the moment the new equipment manager starts, but a transparent model will infuse their management principles both up and down the chain-of-command. Once administrators get a feel for how the equipment manager does the job, and they see how this model increases efficiency, they normally leave more of the decisions in their hands.
After developing a structure for your equipment management program, and getting support from your bosses, you must ensure your customers are following the directives that are laid out. When important rules are violated, then the employees need to be coached on how to properly handle the equipment. Transparency has to be coupled with accountability or the customers will continue to complete their tasks in the same fashion. For example, if you establish a practice for yearly preventive maintenance on your division’s portable radios, and discover that employees are choosing not to turn them in for service as required, swift action should be taken. By holding the customer responsible, you are training them to be your equipment manager in the field. If educated, they will be your voice on the street and will train others to follow the program.
A company that has properly monitored equipment translates into one that has newer and better running gear in the field. Those who believe that operations should be the main focus of the department must be reminded of the importance of the other divisions, such as equipment management, that provide employee support. By using effective systems — some of which are rooted in longstanding management principles — we can enhance frontline areas like operations by outfitting line-level employees with tools that will allow them to perform their duties more effectively and safely.
