The NJ Police Chief Magazine - Volume 31, Number 1 | Page 16

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | September 2024

Leadership in Law Enforcement through Challenging Times

By Leif Babin

Create a culture of leaders at every level who think and work together in order to successfully navigate obstacles and increase strategic impact in communities through law enforcement leadership .

Extreme Ownership Leadership Principles are the Solution Today ’ s law enforcement careers are evolving . Police leadership and law enforcement leadership are more challenging . Over the last twelve years , Jocko Willink and I and our team of leadership instructors at Echelon Front have worked with hundreds of departments and agencies at the federal , state , and local levels , and thousands of law enforcement officers . In that time , we often said that police officers in America have perhaps the toughest job in the world . Today , that job has never been harder . And it has also never been more important . Serving and protecting the public has always required sacrifice , courage , and discipline . But to prevent crime and ensure the safety of officers and the public in today ’ s landscape requires new emphasis on additional skill — leadership .

Being a leader in law enforcement , whether a sergeant , supervisor , captain , or chief , has never been more challenging . The increased public scrutiny on policing , vendettas of those targeting police , skyrocketing incidence of mental health issues , escalation of violence on scene , and greater difficulty in keeping criminals behind bars , are just some of the many challenges law enforcement officials face on a daily basis . Problems can also manifest when the police officers feel mistrust or lack of support from their own city , state , or federal government officials . Fearing IAB or other disciplinary actions , law enforcement organizations across the country are experiencing higher-thanever turnover , with more people leaving the profession after 1-2 years . Finding and developing experienced law enforcement officers who can build trust within the department , lead effectively , and create an environment where police officers can serve and protect their communities is increasingly challenging .

However , no matter the challenges you face , there is a solution . Leadership is the solution . This is not to minimize the extent of the challenges faced by law enforcement today . But the situation is never hopeless . Solutions to problems often take longer than we would like to turn tough situations around , but leadership provides a pathway to victory . When looking at a problem through the lens of leadership , solutions can be found . This is one of our core beliefs at Echelon Front : every problem you face is a leadership problem . If you view all problems through a leadership lens , you can then determine which Extreme Ownership leadership principle you need to apply to solve the problem .

TedX Talk : Leadership in Challenging Times

In this article , we will address three of the most common law enforcement leadership challenges and how you can apply Extreme Ownership principles to solve each of those problems .

1 . Attrition One of the most common issues today ’ s police departments face is attrition . There are many seasoned officers

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