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By Lorene Rasmussen
When it comes to television, the networks would go broke if they relied on my viewing to make money. Besides not being a big fan of sitting still for the length of time it takes Grissom to investigate and apprehend a criminal on CSI, I am a reality show skeptic, and late adopter of most programs. While in college, I took a marketing class from Dr. Ed Petkus, my advisor and favorite professor. On Monday morning, he would start the class with, "Which TV commercial caught your attention this weekend?" Much to his dismay, few, if any, would offer up an answer. After about a month of this routine, he asked, "What are you doing with your time? Don't you watch television?" I reluctantly answered, "I don't have time for TV; I'm too busy reading text books and writing papers." In complete disbelief, Petkus threw back his head and laughed, saying, "But you're a marketing major. Get your head out of your. . . text book and start participating in your field. You'll learn more about marketing in two hours of television than you ever will in a book." So with text books on my lap, I started watching a few programs that could hold my attention. Unfortunately, most of them were reruns of MASH, Cheers, The Andy Griffith Show, and Barney Miller, but at least I was watching. . . . Okay, hold that thought while I change
channels.
Going to lunch with Boise Police Chief Michael Masterson was like being back in college sitting in an operations management class but only better. Chief Masterson has spent his career learning, applying, and sharing the Principles of Quality Leadership, Quality Improvement Methods, and Community-Oriented Policing. He has written numerous articles in order to impart practical information, so other governmental agencies might learn from his ample experience. Chief Masterson is a graduate from Ottawa University and the son of a retired Police Chief, who served his own community for 31 years, twenty-two as its top executive. In 2005, Masterson joined the Boise Police Department
as Boise's 36th Police Chief. The BPD is made up of
approximately four hundred employees, with three-
quarters of them being sworn officers and the remainder
being the support team. The Chief and his Command
Staff manage an annual budget of over $40 million while
carrying out BPD's mission: to protect, lead, and
serve our community to a safer
tomorrow.
When Chief Masterson arrived on the Boise scene, there were a few community issues that needed his immediate attention and total quality management expertise. He knew that if there was going to be real change and lasting solutions, it needed to happen first with the leadership. So the Chief rolled up his sleeves, imparted ownership to his people, provided consistency of purpose, encouraged agreed-upon goals while coupled with the practice of continual improvement. "Educate first and regulate when needed" is Chief
Masterson's philosophy for his department, as well as
the citizens. His thirty-plus years of experience in law
enforcement have given him an appreciation for the
entire system, and an intimate understanding of how it all
interacts together. He maintains the belief that the
customers have the answers if someone will take time to
listen; and listening is what Masterson does best. For
more than half his career, the Chief has been a trained
facilitator, while continuing to hold top leadership
positions.
The Mayor's Downtown Boise Task Force became one of the first opportunities for Chief Masterson to flex his TQM (Total Quality Management) muscles. Citizens were starting to notice congested sidewalks, pockets of traffic congestion, and a perceived increase in violent crime. In order to alleviate the issues in the downtown core, results of problem-solving initiatives were compiled, and several major strategies were successfully implemented. Another area of our community that needed improvement
was the Boise River. The Boise River is a destination
spot for recreational enthusiasts who float and play on
the summer's main attraction. With a growing numbers
of visitors, the environmental quality, safety, and crime
along the banks had become a concern. In 2006, The
Boise River Safety Project was born. Since the launch of
the project, there has been a marked reduction of crime,
with safety and quality returning to the river's
banks.
By 2007, Chief Masterson's problem- solving initiatives, innovation, and community partnerships were proving to be the best way to handle the issues that faced Boise. With an increase in theft and fraud perpetrated against Boise retailers, another opportunity arose for Masterson to apply his solid principles to the newly formed Retail Crime Interdiction Unit. Thanks to a cooperative partnership with retailers, and acknowledging that retail crime is most often connected to other crimes, the unit continues to achieve success through retailers communicating in a timely manner, and quick police response to crimes in-progress. Because these three particular programs stand above
the rest, The Association of Idaho Cities awarded the City
of the Boise and its police department with Achievement
Awards in June 2008. The Department was also
recognized for an honorable mention achievement in an
international problem-solving award competition. Chief
Masterson was quoted as saying, "These honors are
tremendous recognition for the men and women of the
Boise Police Department who work so hard to serve our
community in ways citizens don't always see. Boise
officers and employees work every day to effectively
implement lasting solutions to neighborhood
problems. . ."
Since Masterson took over in 2005, the crime rate has
gone down. Although there are many factors involved in
lowering crime rates, Chief Masterson knows that
community involvement and volunteers are two primary
drivers. Boise Police continue to work proactively with
neighborhoods, community partnerships, other area law
enforcement, and city agencies for the common goal of
making Boise the most livable city in the country.
It's a privilege to live in one of the safest cities in our
nation. In addition to community involvement, business
partnerships, and volunteers, it is also important to have
strong leadership at the top that communicates vision
and empowers all the people to take ownership.
Throughout his career, Chief Masterson has successfully
embraced Total Quality Management philosophy,
adapting the suitable principles to the organization. Of
course, he is always keeping an eye on continuous
improvement which offers many lessons to be learned
but seldom an ending.
. . .Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.
As class. . .I mean, lunch, was coming to a close with
Chief Masterson, I asked him which television show best
depicts reality in the law enforcement world: Law and
Order or CSI. He smiled and said, "Neither. . .Barney
Miller." I guess all my television viewing back in college
wasn't only for learning marketing principles.
Hail to the Chief
is #11 in a series of interviews with local leaders,
business
owners, and personal heroes.
Lorene Rasmussen is the Partner for Business
Operations which guides and supports the daily and
strategic operations of Leadership Advisors Group. She
combines a unique sense of fun and organization to
insure operations run smoothly and that clients receive
the highest quality service possible.
Lorene earned her Bachelor of Business Administration
in Marketing from Boise State University and is a certified
Life Coach through Genesis Enterprises in Seattle,
Washington.
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As 2008 comes to a close, we want to thank you for allowing us to partner with you this year. We look forward to serving you again in 2009.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 Phil Eastman & Lorene Rasmussen
Leadership Advisors Group
email:
phil@leadershipadvisors.com
phone:
(208) 344-0471
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