NTOA Command College Research Paper Grading Rubric Evaluator Name: _Selleg_for Bradford Name: Course: Date: 8/12/19 CATEGORY Unacceptable (Below Standards) Acceptable (Meets Standards) Good (Occasionally Exceeds) Excellent (Exceeds Standards) Possible Score SCORE Does not Conveys topic, but Conveys topic and Strong 5 points 3 adequately convey not key key question(s). introduction of Acceptable but only briefly describes the subtopics and general thesis of the paper topic. Does not question(s). Clearly delineates topic’s key Introduction describe subtopics to be reviewed. Describes subtopics to be subtopics to be reviewed. General question(s), terms. Clearly delineates Lacks adequate reviewed. General thesis statement. subtopics to be thesis statement. theses statement. reviewed. Specific thesis statement. Little evidence Most material All material clearly All material clearly 15 points material is clearly related to related to subtopic, related to subtopic, logically organized subtopic, main main topic and main topic. Strong into topic, topic. Material logically organized organization and 5 Focus & subtopics or may not be within subtopics. integration of Sequencing related to topic. organized within Clear, varied material within Acceptable, Many transitions subtopics. transitions linking subtopics. Strong missing most the transitions between sub subjects. are unclear or Attempts to subtopics, and main transitions linking nonexistent. provide variety of topic. subtopics, and transitions main topic. Few sources Sources generally Sources well selected Strong peer- 15 points supporting thesis. acceptable but not to support thesis with reviewed research 2 Support Sources peer-reviewed some research in based support for Unacceptable insignificant or research support of thesis. thesis. The majority of the citations are missing in the support of the authors arguments The author has provided an essay of this thoughts on leadership, not a research paper Only leadership references used are text from course work. My Google Scholar search of “Leadership Principles” returned more than 3 million hits. unsubstantiated. (evidence) based. Does not Review of key Strong review of key Strong review of 5 points summarize conclusions. conclusions. Strong key conclusions. 3 evidence with Some integration integration with thesis Strong integration Acceptable respect to thesis with thesis statement. Discusses with thesis Author provides a conclusion but it is not transitioned or label, leaving the reader to discern that the paper is concluding. Conclusion statement. Does not discuss statement. Discusses impact impact of researched material on topic. statement. Insightful the impact of of researched discussion of researched material on topic. impact of the material on topic. researched material on topic. Grammatical Very few Grammatical errors The paper is free 20 poin ...

1. NTOA Command College
Research Paper Grading Rubric
Evaluator Name: _Selleg_for Bradford
Name: Course: Date: 8/12/19
CATEGORY
Unacceptable (Below Standards)
Acceptable (Meets Standards)
Good (Occasionally Exceeds)
Excellent (Exceeds Standards)
Possible Score
SCORE
Does not
Conveys topic, but
Conveys topic and
Strong
5 points
3
adequately convey
not key
key question(s).
introduction of
Acceptable but only briefly describes the subtopics and general
thesis of the paper
topic. Does not
question(s).
Clearly delineates
topic’s key

2. Introduction
describe subtopics
to be reviewed.
Describes
subtopics to be
subtopics to be
reviewed. General
question(s), terms.
Clearly delineates
Lacks adequate
reviewed. General
thesis statement.
subtopics to be
thesis statement.
theses statement.
reviewed. Specific
thesis statement.
Little evidence
Most material

3. All material clearly
All material clearly
15 points
material is
clearly related to
related to subtopic,
related to subtopic,
logically organized
subtopic, main
main topic and
main topic. Strong
into topic,
topic. Material
logically organized
organization and
5
Focus &
subtopics or
may not be
within subtopics.
integration of
Sequencing
related to topic.
organized within
Clear, varied

4. material within
Acceptable,
Many transitions
subtopics.
transitions linking
subtopics. Strong
missing most the transitions between sub subjects.
are unclear or
Attempts to
subtopics, and main
transitions linking
nonexistent.
provide variety of
topic.
subtopics, and
transitions
main topic.
Few sources
Sources generally
Sources well selected
Strong peer-

5. 15 points
supporting thesis.
acceptable but not
to support thesis with
reviewed research
2
Support
Sources
peer-reviewed
some research in
based support for
Unacceptable
insignificant or
research
support of thesis.
thesis.
The majority of the citations are missing in the support of the
authors arguments The author has provided an essay of this
thoughts on leadership, not a research paper Only leadership
references used are text from course work. My Google Scholar
search of “Leadership Principles” returned more than 3 million
hits.
unsubstantiated.
(evidence) based.

6. Does not
Review of key
Strong review of key
Strong review of
5 points
summarize
conclusions.
conclusions. Strong
key conclusions.
3
evidence with
Some integration
integration with thesis
Strong integration
Acceptable
respect to thesis
with thesis
statement. Discusses
with thesis
Author provides a conclusion but it is not transitioned or label,
leaving the reader to discern that the paper is concluding.
Conclusion
statement.
Does not discuss
statement.
Discusses impact
impact of researched
material on topic.
statement.

7. Insightful
the impact of
of researched
discussion of
researched
material on topic.
impact of the
material on topic.
researched
material on topic.
Grammatical

8. Very few
Grammatical errors
The paper is free
20 points
errors or spelling
grammatical,
or spelling &
of grammatical
20
Excellent.
I located on possessive adj in the wrong form.
Grammar &
& punctuation
spelling or
punctuation are rare
errors and spelling
Mechanics
substantially
punctuation errors
and do not detract
& punctuation.
detract from the
interfere with
from the paper.

9. paper.
reading the paper.
Errors in APA
Errors in APA
Rare errors in APA
No errors in APA
20 points
style detract
style are
style that do not
style. Scholarly
substantially from
noticeable. Word
detract from the
style. Writing is
5
the paper.
choice
paper. Scholarly
flowing and easy
Unacceptable
APA Style &
Word choice is

10. occasionally
style. Writing has
to follow.
APA level labeling, general formatting, header formatting and
in text citation formatting were not followed. I found one
example of the APA style of They Say, so I say flow as
recommended for research documents.
Communication
informal in tone.
informal in tone.
minimal awkward or
Writing is choppy,
Writing has a few
unclear passages.
with many
awkward or
awkward or
unclear passages.

11. unclear passages.
Reference and
Two references or
One reference or
All references and
20 points
0
Citations & References
citation errors detract
significantly from
citations missing or incorrectly
written.
citations missing or incorrectly written.
citations are correctly written
and present.
Unacceptable
All of the in text direct quote citations are incorrect. The
missing citations make this paper an summary essay of the
authors opinions not the research paper required in the
assignment.
paper.
Total Points: 38

12. APA Errors
APA MAJORerrors:
APA Reference errors: (ABC order, 1:1
reference/citation)
APA Punctuation and Capitalization errors
APA Citation errors: (incorrect author order, incorrect et
al. usage)
Title Page (Header, Spacing, Contents, etc.)
APA numbers
APA Verb problems: (verb tense, verb-subject-article
agreement)
Pronoun errors: (which, that, who, whom)
Format errors: (incorrect line, letter, word spacing,
pagination)
Use of Abbreviations or numerals to start sentences
Undefined abbreviations
Non professional writing/tone
Lack of empirical evidence for points made
Other:
APA Minor errors:

13. Wrong font/wrong size font/wrong color font
Inappropriate use of a secondary source (lack of “cited
in…)
Inappropriate use of personal pronouns, excessive
abbreviations
Occasional problems with hanging indents
Using ampersands in text
Other:
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 1
Leadership Development
Capstone Research Paper
PO Adam Bradford
National Tactical Officers’ Association Command College
Abstract
In this research paper, the author will discuss the importance of

14. leadership development during the early stages of all SWAT
Operators on the team. The author will also discuss various
leadership principles that apply to the tactical leadership and
development of young and old leaders on the team. The author
will reference numerous articles and books researched while
developing this research paper. Lastly, the author will discuss
the argument presented by some that leadership should not be at
the forefront until an Operator has been on the team and
"earned" his or her spot as a leader. By the end of this article,
the author hopes to clarify to the reader how crucial it is to
develop leaders sooner rather than later.
Leadership development is likely one of the most popular topics
among SWAT teams around the nation. Throughout this article,
the author intends to discuss the importance of leadership
development almost immediately after new Operators have made
it through the indoctrination process. The author also intends to
discuss the various leadership principles he believes are most
important when developing a new leader. Lastly, the author
hopes to dispel a common myth, that leaders should be
developed at the later stages of one's SWAT career.
As a SWAT Operator, the author believes everyone on the
team is a leader, from day one. It is common to hear SWAT

15. teams say we want “thinkers”, the issue the author has found is
no one wants to take to time to develop young Operators
properly. Developing leaders should be one of the most
important aspects when developing new Operators. When given
a task or mission it is imperative the Commander, Assistant
Commander, and Team Leaders believe all their subordinates
can follow through and accomplish such task or mission. The
most damaging aspect of leadership is micromanaging. As a
leader, when you micromanage, you remove any ability for your
subordinate to think through the issue at hand. This is why it is
important to allow them to make decisions. Comment by
Selleg, Jeff: Should have citation. Who says this is the most
damaging aspect? Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing Citation
In a training environment, this holds, as making a mistake in a
training environment is much more acceptable than on an actual
mission. The purpose of training is to improve upon one's
weaknesses. As leaders, we all have weaknesses and areas that
can be improved upon. The issue, if we as leaders do not allow
our subordinates to lead in training, allow them the opportunity
to fail in a controlled environment, they may never get better.
In Lincoln on Leadership the author spoke of "Lincoln
Principles", which stated, "If you are a good leader when your
work is done, your aim fulfilled, your people will say, we did
this ourselves." He also wrote "Try not to feel insecure or
threatened by your followers" Phillips, D. (1992). The message
here is simple, allow your subordinates to do their job, and if
they excel, even past your expectations, as a leader one should
not feel threatened, they should be proud. This would only
demonstrate that you as a leader have done your job properly by
developing your subordinates and allowing them to lead.
Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation and page
number. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: APA requires page number
for direct quotes. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: This paragraph is
a Great example of the research format, They Say so I Say.
Needs to be repeated through out.
Often Operators spend numerous years on a SWAT team

16. before they are allowed to lead, even if only during a training
evolution. As Commanders and Team Leaders you are failing
your subordinates if you do not allow them the opportunity. As
mentioned earlier the author will discuss developing leaders as
soon as they are on the team and out of their probation period.
This can be accomplished by building in classes during a
training day, even if there is only time for a one hour class at
the beginning of the training day. Many topics can be discussed
during this time and all will benefit. Comment by Selleg,
Jeff: Missing citation, says Who?
The author believes each SWAT team should have specific
leadership principles written out that all Operators can access.
By having leadership principles specific to the team it allows a
defined attainable and measurable goal. The issue most teams
have is they lack defined goals for their teams. Examples of
leadership principles can vary, depending on what is most
important to each Commander. Referencing The Founding
Fathers on Leadership, the author stated the following “Have a
pretty good idea of where you want to go before you act or
attempt to inspire others.” Phillips, D. (1997). The message here
is simple, as leaders everyone needs to be on the same page and
agree on the principles which they want to build their team on.
Once all the command staff has agreed on the mission statement
and leadership principles they can disseminate it down to the
lowest level. They can then begin to develop leaders at all
levels, in turn allowing for a more successful SWAT team.
Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation Comment by
Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Author
should delineate which leadership theorist’s principles he is
referring to. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Direct Quotes require
page number Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation, says
Who? Comment by Selleg, Jeff: By his writing it appears
the author is defining team values as Leadership Principles.
Phillips also wrote, “Make your vision simple and clear so that
everyone may understand it. Begin communicating your vision
slowly and softly so that others may first think it over. Invite

17. people to participate in your vision, building it with their own
hands, on the broadest possible foundation.” Phillips, D. (1997).
As a leader, the mission statement must be clear, concise, and to
the point. There cannot be any room for interpretation, as that
will cause doubt among your subordinates. Once the mission
statement and leadership principles have been developed allow
your subordinates to have an open conversation among the team
on how they interpret the message. This in itself will be a
lesson or even the beginning of the leadership development for
the young Operators. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Direct
quotes require a page number. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: The
overarching thematic mission statement of the Team or the
mission statement for that specific tactical mission?
Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation
Once an Operator has successfully made it through the
indoctrination process, and finished their probation period, they
are now considered a SWAT Operator. With this title, for most
departments, they will be the ones Patrol Officers turn to for
answers when dealing with difficult calls to service. Most
SWAT teams across the nation are considered "part-time",
meaning they have other duties, considered primary duties, with
SWAT being a secondary duty and voluntary. Since most teams
across the nation are part-time teams, all Operators must begin
leadership development early on. These young Operators may
be asked by senior Police Officers, Sergeants, Lieutenants,
Captains, for advice on how to best resolve an issue on patrol.
If the young SWAT Operator is not developed properly they
may fall short, or be incapable of providing the correct course
of action. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Should be collateral duty,
no one is on a part time team. Comment by Selleg, Jeff:
Mission citation. Who says collateral duty teams require
immediate leadership development. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Is
this leadership training or training in tactical resolution of in
progress incidents?
As mentioned earlier let us discuss leadership in training.
All Commanders and Team Leaders should take advantage of

18. every training hour provided. Allow your subordinates to run
through scenarios, make their own decisions, and succeed or
fail. Once the scenario is complete allow them to explain their
mindset and decision making throughout the process. If there is
a mistake made, try and walk them through the mistake, and if
possible, allow them to conclude on their own. By doing this it
allows the Operator an opportunity to reflect, acknowledge, and
correct any issue they may have had. If they run through a
scenario with little to no issues praise them. Many leaders fail
to realize the positive impact praise has on their subordinates.
People strive to be perfect; if they are constantly beaten down
and only told what they are doing wrong they will eventually
give up and stop trying to lead. Comment by Selleg, Jeff:
Missing citation Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation,
this is standard adult learning theory, but which theorist is the
author crediting.
There are numerous times as a leader you may not have the
best answer to a solution. As stated in It’s Our Ship: The No-
Nonsense Guide to Leadership Abrashoff states “As a leader,
you don’t know everything, you don’t always have the best
ideas,” Abrashoff, D.M.(2008). This reinforces the concept that
as a leader you should be open to suggestion. As a leader, you
must allow your subordinates to provide perspective. It is also
crucial as a leader you can control your subordinates when there
is no time for recommendations and decisions must be made
your subordinates understand and can execute without question.
When developing your subordinates as leaders it is your
responsibility to educate them. Part of educating is
demonstrating the ability to be led and empowering your
subordinates. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing page number
Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation
Paul Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight stated:
"We have all seen the typical movie roles of the leader out
front, leading the bayonet charge into the enemy. It is a
technique, one that I don't recommend. Effective combat
leadership should empower the fighting troops to take initiative

19. and decisive action at the lowest level to support the common
goal. Leaders that have properly trained troops and have
confidence in their tactics and capabilities are not afraid to do
this. Not all troops are up to this level, but this is where we
should strive to be." Howe, P.R. (2011). Comment by Selleg,
Jeff: Missing page number
This goes back to what the author mentioned earlier with
developing one SWAT Operators as leaders once they have
finished their probation. By putting in the extra time, allowing
your subordinates to develop as leaders, it will, in turn, benefit
you as a Commander/Team Leader, by developing a sense of
trust in your subordinates. If, as a leader, you are constantly
looking over your subordinate's shoulder it will eventually
cause the subordinate to doubt themselves. In turn, without
even realizing it, you are crippling that Operator and any chance
they had in becoming a leader or a thinker. Comment by
Selleg, Jeff: Should be possessive “one’s” Comment by
Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation Comment by Selleg, Jeff:
Missing citation
Earlier we talked about “leading by being led”. In Lincoln
on Leadership, Phillips, D. (1992) mentioned Lincolns approach
“was to always give credit where credit was due and,
conversely, to accept responsibility when things went wrong.”
As a leader not only does this keep you honest and on point, but
it also allows your subordinates a perception of where they are.
If a subordinate fails to realize the lessons learned from such
circumstances, at minimum, it will allow the subordinate to feel
good about their work. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing
page number for direct quote
Lincoln on Leadership yielded many useful tips as far as
developing your subordinates as leaders. Again, referencing the
material read, Phillips, D. (1992) Lincolns principles hold to
this day. In talking about developing leaders we can reference
the following "Try not to feel insecure or threatened by your
followers, and the greatest credit should be given to those in
your organization who render the hardest work." The author

20. discussed earlier the importance of a leader not being threatened
by his/her followers. As a leader, one should be flattered if
their subordinate is excelling among their peers. This can be
considered a direct reflection of your leadership. The other
Lincoln principle referenced, rewarding those in your
organization who render the hardest work, should hold for any
organization throughout the world. Comment by Selleg, Jeff:
Missing page number for direct quotes
As a Commander/Team Leader you should always strive to
do better. With that being said, building classes/training into
the SWAT budget every year is crucial to the proper
development of your Operators. The NTOA, TTPOA, LTPOA,
and many other SWAT organizations host numerous classes
every year, all over the country. Many of these classes are
leadership development courses. As a leader, you should be
registering and sending your subordinates to these training
events to assist them in their development. Many departments
have no issue with Operators attending these courses, as it will
benefit the entire Police Department. When the Operator
returns, they can share the information learned with the rest of
their peers. By doing this the department will continue to
evolve and develop more leaders, more Officers who are
capable of executing a mission with little to no guidance.
Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation. Who says
As mentioned earlier, leadership principles are imperative to
the success of your team. Earlier the author mentioned
leadership principles and the fact they can vary from department
to department or SWAT team to team. The Founding Fathers on
Leadership, Phillips, D. (1997) mentions a few principles that
could be applied to any SWAT team and young Operator to
successfully develop them as leaders. “Obtain information and
make timely decisions, understand what people think and feel,
keep people informed, obtain feedback, and inspire and
motivate”. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing page numbers
for direct quotes
Let us address "obtain information and make timely decisions"

21. first. As a leader you must be in the field, with the
subordinates, gathering real-time information. Once the
information is gathered, a leader needs to have the ability to
decide to act. Another important aspect of this, while in
training, your subordinates should be put in positions that force
them to gather information quickly and efficiently, then makes
decisions. This allows them to develop a sense of confidence
and it also allows them to better understand the leader's job in
the field.
Second, “understand what people think and feel”. Phillips,
D. (1997) states in The Founding Fathers on Leadership: "If
leaders perpetually seek personal contact with people, they will
then know exactly what others think and how they feel. Therein
lies the most fundamental of all leadership principles, which
ties back to the definition of leadership: Leaders act for the
wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations of the people
they represent." As a leader, you must understand every one of
your subordinates. If you fail to do so, you fail as a leader.
Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing page number for direct
quote
The next principle mentioned, "Keep people informed". As a
leader sometimes we forget to disseminate information to the
troops. There is nothing more demoralizing then "not knowing".
This can easily be fixed by simply getting the word out to your
subordinates; in return, it will boost morale and performance.
This will motivate the troops to "want" to work for you.
Another principle mentioned is "Obtain feedback". As a leader,
if you show interest in your subordinate's opinion it gives them
a sense of empowerment and pride in the team they worked so
hard to be part of. With that being said, as a leader, it is
important to be open and receptive to new ideas and criticism.
All good leaders possess this trait and should be one of the first
lessons taught when developing young leaders on the team.
Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation Comment by
Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation
The last principle the author mentioned from The Founding

22. Fathers on Leadership is the ability to "inspire and innovate".
Phillips, D. (1997) states: "Being in the field allows leaders to
quickly size up a situation and implement new ideas (conjured
up from both leaders and followers) that arise in response to
specific events. It also provides many opportunities to inspire
people by reminding them what they are fighting for, by
charging into action, or by elevating the cause to a higher
plane.” Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Same incorrect citation of a
direct quote
When a leader is leading from the field, especially a pre-
planned operation, it shows the subordinates they can be
confident in the plan. It is also reassuring to your subordinates
when they see you leading from the "battlefield" instead of over
a radio. Granted, there are some situations where some leaders
will not be able to be out with the "troops". However,
confidence in a plan starts at the top and works its way down to
the most junior Operator. As a leader how can you expect your
subordinates to carry out a plan of action if you, yourself are
not confident in the abilities of your team or the plan they are
expected to execute. Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing
citation Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing citation and not
tied to a specific leadership role. Does the author mean Team
leaders or Commanders? Comment by Selleg, Jeff: Missing
citation
Throughout this paper, the author discussed the importance of
developing leaders early on in their career as a SWAT Operator.
Many points have been discussed, but it is the author's belief
the SWAT team as a whole will benefit if leadership training is
implemented early and consistently. Developing sound
leadership principles and clear guidelines for your team is
crucial to the proper development of young leaders. There are
many opportunities to provide leadership training and
opportunities for your subordinates. It is the responsibility of
the training staff and those in charge to ensure the leadership
training is executed efficiently. By doing this it will allow a
sense of trust and confidence in the abilities of every Operator

23. on the team.
References
Abrashoff, D.M.(2008). It’s Our Ship: The No-Nonsense Guide
to Leadership. New York, New
York: Grand Central Publishing.
Howe, P.R. (2011). Leadership and Training for the Fight. New
York, New York: Skyhorse
Publishing.
Phillips, D. (1992). Lincoln on Leadership. New York, New
York: Grand Central Publishing.
Phillips, D. (1997). The Founding Fathers on Leadership. New
York, New York: Grand Central
Publishing.