Police Chief Magazine

When I was hired as chief of police at Tulane University, one of the first concerns officers shared with me was that they were not viewed as “real” police officers. It was a sentiment rooted in frustration and one that I was cognizant of. While I acknowledged that perception, I was equally clear in my response: Our responsibility was not to debate th...

For more than two decades, police departments across the globe have trained and prepared for active shooter incidents. While these training programs are sometimes described using generic terms such as “mass casualty incident,” the courses usually focus on the tasks officers must perform when they respond to an incident involving a person actively murdering pe...

Every patrol officer knows the moment. You pull to the shoulder, step out of your vehicle, and walk toward an unknown driver—with traffic moving at highway speed just feet behind you. Distracted driving is at epidemic levels, and driver behavior toward law enforcement has grown increasingly unpredictable. What looks routine from the outside is, statistically,...

For modern police executives, crowd management has evolved from a matter of logistics into a critical test of institutional legitimacy. In an era defined by global polarization and the viral spread of information, the street has become the primary arena where the social contract between the state and its citizens is either reinforced or fractured.

The Swe...

August 7, 2026

The IACP Legislative Update keeps you informed on major legislative and policy developments in the U.S. Congress that could impact the policing profession. This update covers information on IACP’s Opposition to any Changes to the Revised Federal Definition of Hemp, the Clarity Act, the August Recess, a...