While out to dinner with my wife earlier this year, I told her about a meeting I had with an aspiring police chief in the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. My colleague was a well-
respected command executive in a neighboring jurisdiction, and he had asked to meet with me to gain insight and guidance on transitioning to the role of police chief within a new organization. At that time, policing in the metropolitan area was in a state of transition with many tenured chiefs approaching retirement. Thinking ahead, he wanted to prepare for potential leadership opportunities outside of his department.

My wife then asked me, “What were the most important ideas you shared with him?” I explained that we discussed how the events of just the past few years—the COVID-19 pandemic, public demonstrations, police reform, staffing shortages, line-of-duty deaths, an uptick in violence, fatigued personnel, union/labor relations, and so forth—have added to the demands, and risks, of being a police chief. We talked about some of the time-tested traits necessary to successfully navigate the complexities of modern policing such as integrity, accountability, ethical decision-making, and empathy, which are all essential for effective leadership.

However, when digging deeply into the topic, five specific strategies emerged for finding success as the leader of a new police department. The following strategies can help guide an incoming chief toward the successful transition from being an outsider to a welcomed member of their new organization.