There is no question that the American flag is intrinsically linked to the men and women who make up the various police forces sprinkled across the United States. Seems only natural, right? Well, consider this. The United States does not have a national police force, which was intentional because the Founding Fathers made sure that…

More than ever these days, people want transparency out of their policing agencies. Here at the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, we have found that being active on social media by showing the good – and the bad – is a great place to start. That means showcasing the outstanding work that our deputies do on…

What police department in America is not looking for a way to bridge the gap between the police and the community we serve?  Skipping right to the issue at hand, the trust and relationships between our police and the African American community is an equation we [Chiefs and Commanders] are trying to solve. Like most,…

On June 14, a lone gunman open fired on a group of Congressmen practicing for an upcoming softball game, wounding six, one critically. The shooter was stopped when two Capitol Hill Police Officers engaged the gunman, killing him. That same day, a disgruntled employee open fired on co-workers at a San Francisco UPS facility killing…

Time is unkind. The days are not long enough to meet the never-ending demands of law enforcement careers and family life. It feels like we have never been busier or more accessible than we are at this point in human history. With the dinging from a text message, our focus automatically shifts from dinner with our family to…

The opioid epidemic continues to stretch across the United States, just as it has been doing in Canada and the United Kingdom. Last month, an East Liverpool (Ohio) police officer accidentally came into contact with fentanyl and overdosed. He was treated with one dose of Narcan at the station and three more at the local…

In the early days of police body cameras, the few companies that served the market relied on an emergency procurement model: Pioneering police departments would buy the cameras in response to crises to show the public they were engaging in the reforms necessary to keep their trust. This typically followed an ugly use-of-force incident or…

Somewhere along the journey of providing our officers with better tools, better training, increasing their safety and protection and access through advanced technologies of real-time information, we forgot about a basic reality: All policing is done through relationships. It is just as important that we provide training and tools to maximize relationship building as it…

Body-worn camera equipment and infrastructure, program development and implementation are by no means cheap. Assessing their cost-benefit and return on investment is not only crucial but straightforward and easy — if you’re doing it wrong. And you don’t want to do it wrong. Justifying a multi-million dollar expenditure when policing budgets are hard fought for…

I am a supporter of traditions. They serve an important role in keeping the positive parts of the past alive. When it comes to policing, the heritage we celebrate, honor and maintain should be a tradition of excellence. But tradition should not be about the evolution of an organization. Too often, policing agencies fall back…

These days, the term “drone” elicits all sorts of emotional reactions. Some see it as fun, a hobby, a chance to explore a world above the ground that you couldn’t do previously without spending a lot of money. Others see it as a viable operational tool that can be used under numerous work opportunities. And…

On the fateful day that President John Kennedy was assassinated, he was prepared to give a speech in which he planned to say that “leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” I couldn’t agree more. Nearly two years ago, I decided I wanted to go back to school. Our department had been part of…