April 2026 | The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine 45
• build broad coalitions
• use symbolic action
• force adversaries into dilemmas
Their strategies used morality as leverage, creating political outcomes that stronger opponents struggled to counter.
For policing:
• understanding nonviolent strategy helps chiefs anticipate modern protest movements
• it provides tools for peaceful resolution and public engagement
• it reframes community relations as a strategic enterprise
• Lesson for Chiefs: Nonviolent movements reveal that strategy is about shaping public meaning— not just controlling events.
VII. Nuclear Strategy: Deterrence, Signals, and Credibility Freedman’ s chapters on Cold War nuclear strategy provide surprising insights for police organizations. Key takeaways include:
• deterrence relies on credible communication
• escalation must be controlled, not reactionary
• threats often function as messages rather than actions
• perception shapes behavior more than capability
In policing:
• officer presence often functions as deterrence
• communication must be consistent and credible
• escalation control is central to modern professionalism
• the goal is often to avoid operational“ duels,” not win them
Lesson for Chiefs: Strategic policing requires managing signals, expectations, and credibility— not just operations.
VIII. Business Strategy: Culture, Competition, and Emergent Behavior In the modern era, strategy became a business discipline. Freedman examines thinkers such as:
• Peter Drucker
• Bruce Henderson( BCG)
• Michael Porter
• Henry Mintzberg Business strategy highlights: