by Gerald W. Garner

Whether you are just pondering if you should go for the gold or are already radar-locked on getting there, this book, MAKING SERGEANT, is for you. Written by a veteran police chief with over 50 years of law enforcement experience, 15 of them spent as a sergeant, it contains practical advice for (1) deciding on whether you are ready for the job and (2) getting it and succeeding at it if you are.

Short on theory and long on pragmatic advice, the text also will help the already-promoted supervisor successfully meet the challenges of this complex but vital position. As most law enforcement agency CEOs will acknowledge, first-line supervisor or sergeant is often the single most important position in the police organization. Without the best efforts of the highly competent man or woman wearing the stripes, the organization is destined to flounder in relative ineffectiveness. In the worst-case scenario, the agency may fail. In other words, the sergeant has got to get it right.

This book will help you decide if you want to be that sergeant. If you do, it will help you be him or her. If, at least at this stage of your career, you decide that the answer is no, that’s fine, too. There is not a law enforcement agency anywhere that has enough talented first-line officers. Your goals may change later. But if you choose to go for it, the tips contained in this book will help you get there. If you are already a supervisor, MAKING SERGEANT will help you get better at what you are already doing.