The new reality for police is becoming clear. Social and Economic forces are spawning Justice Department inquires and Boards of Inquiry. Grainy cell phone videos of police are fuelling public discontent and impacting public confidence in the service. All of this is on top of old reality crime such as drug wars, copper theft, and assaults. Home grown terrorism and home grown social disruptions - what's next? Senior police leaders must now use a diminishing resource base to address the new reality and at the same time they have to be strategic in their thinking of the future.

How does this affect executive leadership and is there a new reality for those that hold positions of responsibility? How do you survive and even thrive in this new reality? Will it be an evolution or revolution for your service? Can you always see these challenges as opportunities to increase public safety and gain public confidence?

Whether you are serving at the will of the Mayor, City Council or Commission, one of the most critical skills that every leader must have is walking the tight rope between cooperation and interference with your department.

You took the job to make your community safer. You were hired based on your exemplary career as a police officer at every level, but now political favours are being called in. It is election time for your Mayor and Council, and crime and punishment are number one on the campaign trail. You are flexible on your principles to a degree but now you are walking the tight rope. Your Mayor is proposing some social initiatives that her opponent is against. Where do you stand and how do you manage these issues publicly knowing that your officers and the public want to hear from you?

Boards of inquiry and Department of Justice oversights are becoming all too common. All of the good work of your department over the many years is forgotten and a singular issue is now the focus of the many that have never walked in the footsteps of your officers. Dealing successfully with Board of Inquiry and oversight issues is vital to the leadership and morale of your organization. Are there ways to fight back and what are the lessons learned from those who have taken on these issues and survived to talk about them?

Being fit for command is not just a physical requirement. You must be mentally fit to make the critical decisions that your department, team, and community require of you. Most of your tasks are draining and after a tough day, week, month, you can easily get to the burn out stage. Imagine if you have had a tough couple of months with member fatalities, community fatalities, budget cuts, fights with Mayor and Council, or financial or marital problems to name just a few? How do you manage to keep fit for command and what do the experts say about how much exhaustion your body and mind take before you are considered no longer fit for command? You and others will be prime candidates for substance abuse and all that entails.

Facebook pages and blogs are now popping up all over the internet regarding police chiefs and their departments. False and misleading allegations are meant to discredit, harass and intimidate you, your family and your department. These ghost writers are shrouded by nicknames such as "TruthTeller", "PoliceDirt", or "BlueScoop." These gutless wonders not only post their own diatribes, but ask people to provide them with additional dirt for which they will pay. Unfortunately, there are those that will believe everything they read and will automatically pass judgement. These are the folks that these veiled writers are trying to attract. What can you do about it and how do you fight back will be the focus of this session?

Every day there are situations that call for expert management and precise decision making. Sometimes things go very well and other times they go horribly wrong! What are the lessons learned? Learn from the leaders who have been there and experienced the challenges of the moment.

How did those leaders manage in those times of great uncertainty? Are you ready to manage the catastrophe (natural or otherwise) that is coming your way? Hear their stories and gain new insights.

With all the pressures associated with the new reality, this keynote speaker will boost your confidence by reminding you that you have done it before and you can do it again.

Loyalty and service are two critical factors that are at the core of public trust and public confidence. Serving 30 plus years in one department seems to be a thing of the past. Recruits now go department shopping and, in fact, they act like free agents once they have completed their training with your community's dollars! Is this just an inevitable cultural shift or is it employer fraud?

As departments get younger and younger, loyalty and service become real question marks. You must have a plan for dealing with this turnover. Budgets will become tighter and tighter in the future and you will no longer be able to afford the new toys that have traditionally been the tools of recruitment and retention. What now?

Adapting to the Shrinking Budget: Can You Redefine Your Service?

Colonel Richard Anderson
United States Marine Corps

Chief Constable Jim Cessford, M.O.M.
Delta Police Department

OK. Change is necessary. Are you ready? How you redefine your service will redefine you in the eyes of municipal leaders, your members, and the community. You will have to maintain the things that are working well and are cost effective. You will have to figure out what you can no longer afford, that is not adding real value to the organization. Finally, you will have to identify and describe the new ideas you want to introduce that will lead your department to effective operation in the new reality. How do you gain new insights? How do you take them forward so that key people will listen? How do you build your organizational structure to meet the new reality, and what barriers will you face?

Careers are made by making more of the right decisions than the wrong ones. No career is error free or bullet proof. Avoiding the pitfalls of leadership is a must for all who want to excel in their careers, but the question is how do you avoid the "CLM's" (career limiting moves) that will surely lie in wait for every critical strategic decision you make. Navigating through the rough waters and avoiding the career killers is a must for every executive...stepping on them can be deadly.

Now more than ever, as the baby boomers retire on mass, preparing an organization's succession plan is becoming more and more critical. The Chief's number one priority, as he begins his tenure, is the stability and sustainability of his organization. Despite the changing of the guard, he must ensure that his department continues to provide excellence in public safety for the community. With the changing demographics and generation I-Pad upon us, can our recruitment and retention strategies fill the leadership vacuum that presently exists, or will exist as the retirement parties begin to fill our calendars?

Case Studies with Those Who Have Been There

All of the Day's Presenters

Every day there are situations that call for expert management and precise decision making. Sometimes things go very well and other times they go horribly wrong! What are the lessons learned? Learn from the leaders who have been there and experienced the challenges of the moment.

How did those leaders manage in those times of great uncertainty? Are you ready to manage the catastrophe (natural or otherwise) that is coming your way? Hear their stories and gain new insights.