BOHICA — Acronym of “bend over, here it comes again.” Used colloquially to indicate that an adverse situation is about to repeat itself, and that acquiescence is the wisest or only course of action — Wiktionary.
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I first ran into this saying while engaged in making some major organizational improvements. There’s history to it — failed organizational innovations and improvements in business, government and the military. The failure of organizational improvements due to inept leaders has become so frequent that most workers know that the best course of action is not to embrace change but rather avoid it. In short, the feeling “We’re about to be ‘screwed’ again!”
After all, common knowledge will tell you that the improvement effort will soon fizzle out be and everyone can soon resume what always been done — even if the old way doesn’t work very well.
It is sad comment on work and its improvement.
So when I think about policing, I cannot help think it is very true. After 60 years of working in (and then observing and commenting on policing) BOHICA seems to be a common organizational response. BOHICA happens whenever citizen groups, politicians (and even police chiefs) attempt to make changes within the ranks of police.
Here’s few examples. Most often the following investigations and reports have come about primarily because of how police have used physical force in carrying out their duties. Over a century and a half ago, Sir Robert Peel’s “Principles of Policing” noted that the more force police used in carrying out their duties, the less public support they enjoyed, “The cooperation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives.” This is and was always true.
+ Wickersham Commission— 1931.
+ President’s Commission Policing — 1967.
+ Kerner Commission — 1968.
+ American Bar Association, Standards for Policing — 1979
+ President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing — 2015
+ PERF Repot on Police Use of Force — 2016.
My observation is that after each one of these important investigations, the response by police and their leaders was not to implement the findings, but rather to ignore and deflect them; that is to implement BOHICA.
Today’s literature on policing contains answers to the problems which face our nation’s police. What police leaders need to do is to study them and go about making the necessary changes so that our nation’s police become models of how to police free, diverse, and truly democratic societies.
Police organizational improvement along the lines of a democratic society is not, and will not, be easy, But it is what true leaders are to do. And it begins with understanding your history and the current literature on how to make and sustain successful organizational changes. (Here’s a good example. You might also read my book on the subject.) It also means the visible practice of Servant Leadership so that employees will trust the changes and improvement their leaders are asking of them!
As the above link suggests: “Servant leadership is a leadership style that prioritizes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of employees. It aims to foster an inclusive environment that enables everyone in the organization to thrive as their authentic self. Whereas traditional leadership focuses on the success of the company or organization, servant leadership puts employees first to grow the organization through their commitment and engagement [my emphasis]. When implemented correctly, servant leadership can help foster trust, accountability, growth, and inclusion in the workplace.”
Unfortunately, few police leaders today are aware of current research and the content of these important reports and their recommendations for improvement.
Police history, including the history of slavery in America, should be part of every police officer’s basic education in America (as I have mentioned before, The 1619 Project should be required reading for every police officer in America).
If not, remember what the writer and philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Let’s not repeat it!
Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation 