The Sisyphus Comments

Attention To Detail – Now You Know!

The first sentence in the duties for a job announcement for an education specialist with the Department of Navy says, “Attention to detail and meticulous preparation are the secrets to delivering world-class learning!” The work styles section of a job description for a chemistry teacher says the position requires, “Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.” A job announcement for a police academy staff instructor reads, ” Applicants should have a demonstrated ability to multi-task, attention to detail, communicate effectively, possess strong organizational skills and be physically fit.

It seems as though everyone wants this ‘attention to detail’ quality but what exactly is it? Is it an inherited trait, a skill that is developed or a learned behavior? If it is learned, how does a trainer teach it? Is it important to a cop? These are some of the questions that I asked myself when I started to examine this issue.

We know from experience that paying attention to detail is critical to the survival of a street cop. Little details like an improperly attached or missing license plate can lead to a big time arrest. For instance, Oklahoma Trooper Charlie Hanger had been dispatched to Oklahoma City on the day that the Alfred P. Murrah building was blow up. However, he received a subsequent order to remain in his usual patrol area. He turned around and headed north on I-35. He was about 75 miles from the disaster area when he noticed a beat-up 1977 Mercury Grand Marquis. What caught his attention was the yellow car’s lack of a license plate. Trooper Hanger ended up arresting Timothy McVeigh, the perpetrator of the bombing. His attention to detail is what solved the case. Which brings us back to the problem of teaching attention to detail.

Unfortunately, we can’t teach attention to detail as a class – like Attention to Detail 101. I think it is more of an attitude or a lifestyle that has be ingrained in a recruit during every aspect of academy training. It doesn’t surprise me that most recruits think that the reason for the daily formation and uniform inspection is simply to make sure they look good in their uniforms. What I find surprising is the number of senior officers and agency administrators that have never figured out that the primary reason we perform daily uniform inspections is to instill an attitude of attention to detail in every task the recruits perform. We also instill this philosophy using other routine tasks such as requiring proper grammar and spelling for reports and disciplinary memorandums and even daily clean-up tasks.

I would venture a guess that no one has ever gotten injured or killed because they forgot to button a button on their uniform. However, I can guarantee that many lives have been saved because a recruit developed the discipline to pay attention to every detail during his entry level training. So now you know – we didn’t inspect you just to “mess” with you.