The National City Police Chief describes himself as a transformational leader. A transfor-mational leader advocates for group feedback and cooperation from everyone they are working with, regardless of rank. This type of leadership relies on belief in a common goal (shared by both leaders and subordinates). Conformity to the organization’s vision and belief in this common goal is believed to motivate employee performance and pro-ductivity. (Cockcroft, 2014). All employees share their team goals and thus have a voice in organizational culture. This is intended to create a working environment that enhances group cohesiveness and transparency in decision–making. In contrast to this leadership style, a transactional leader is one who leads with authority and rarely uses insight from lower officials. This type of leader makes decisions for the group and expects their staff to follow rules and directions. A transactional leader is also less visible to their workers, and, when they are present, they carry out a disciplinary role (Bass, 1990). Given these descriptions, we would expect a transformational leader to present with views on organi-zational culture that are in agreement with those of his or her subordinates. Conversely, we would expect a transactional leader whose beliefs on organizational culture differ from those of his or her subordinates. The study described in this report is designed to address these questions and assumptions about leadership in the National City Police Department

The Sage Project Contact Info
Kristofer Patron
Program Administrator
kpatron@sdsu.edu
(619) 594-0103

University Faculty Contact
Joshua Chanin
Criminal Justice

Local Government / Community Contact

Police Department

We interviewed the homeless residents of the East Village regarding the services they access, their desire to obtain permanent housing, and their interactions with law enforcement—both the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) in general and the SDPD’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT).

Our findings indicate that access to permanent housing for homeless individuals remains low. Major barriers to housing include: difficulty meeting requirements, such as delays in qualifying for and receiving Supplemental Security Income; the expense of housing in San Diego and the dwindling availability of single room occupancy facilities; the lack of safety in some temporary housing options that serve as a pipeline to permanent housing, including shelters and transitional housing; and the inability of current housing options to deal with issues of addiction, especially for active drug users. Our research participants vocalized a need for more sensitivity on the part of the City and the SDPD in general to the various circumstances which precipitate homelessness, rather than a blanket assumption of deviance. Our participants also vocalized the need for safe outdoor spaces, lockers, and bathrooms for those living on the streets while awaiting housing. While there is ample awareness among homeless individuals of the HOT’s presence, the team faces an array of obstacles in connecting homeless individuals in need with available resources. Barriers, including coordination across diverse service providers and a dearth of skilled nursing facilities in the local area, and recommendations for the HOT are discussed.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

The Sage Project Contact Info
Kristofer Patron
Program Administrator
kpatron@sdsu.edu
(619) 594-0103

University Faculty Contact
Megan Welsh
Criminal Justice

Local Government / Community Contact

Community Development