Are performance evaluations worth the effort?
In police work, people who are doing the one thing they may have always wanted to do with their lives often have low engagement with a department’s overall mission and […] Read More
Mike Geier
Improving the promotional process for supervisors
I took my first promotional test for sergeant in 1978, when I only 24 years old and had three years on the job. I finished ninth out of the top […] Read More
Developing an ethics-centered police department
Police agencies today strive to recruit, hire and train only those who demonstrate strong moral values before they enter the academy. Yet, even departments’ best efforts will not prevent instances […] Read More
Talk to me
The art of de-escalation for police officers
While training to be a crisis negotiator, I came across this quote from Sergeant Matt Lyons of the Queensland Police Service in Australia. He said: “There are no words to […] Read More
Justice in a free society
The real meaning of the “thin blue line”
Back in the mid-1980s, Chief Fred Stoecker of the Wilmette Police Department posted the phrase “Justice in a Free Society” on the side of all marked police cars. At this […] Read More
Procedural justice
Creating legitimacy and trust for police departments
Procedural justice refers to the basic ideas of fairness and respect. Simply put, it is the Golden Rule: “Treat others as you would want to be treated.” Procedural justice promotes […] Read More
