there is just no way another unit’s commander would go into another and throw his weight around in something he doesn’t know anything about.
Even my Base commander wouldn’t come into my unit and tell us what to do, he wouldn’t know what we should do, it isn’t his job. The higher ups are to give direction, not direct orders to enlisted people like myself.
Hypothetically speaking, if civil engineering’s commander came in, and told me to arm up and that I’m going out on duty at the main gate…I would be confused, and would check with my squad leader. It just doesn’t happen. I don’t fall under his chain of command, unless I’m put in his supervision by someone I’m directly under (and even then, the only thing he’d be telling me to do, would be maybe helping his guys out with something, but not cop work). Even if my base commander himself came in and told me to arm up and I was going on duty, I would still check with my squad leader. On the other hand, if I was asked to do something as a favor, like…drop this document off with so an so in room 100, I’d say yes sir and do it. but as far as taking orders specific to my job, no way.
As far as being accountable, an officer will always be held accountable to the orders he gave unless it’s something absurd that otherwise would have been taken as a joke or something. There is just no way I’d let a commander from another unit try and tell me how to do my work, if he had no idea how to be a cop. Just like I would expect the same if my commander told someone from Civil Engineering to go put in a new parking lot somewhere…that person would check first with his superior