Read the first few paragraphs of this announcement and you’ll sense why being a police chief is one of the toughest jobs in America (second only, I think, to being an actual officer on the front lines).
Chuck Wexler’s announcement of a new Police Executive Research Forum report on officer-involved critical incidents captures the essence of what many chiefs worry about.
Policing can be a rewarding but sometimes thankless job. No one does it to get rich, but they also don’t want to be killed or ruined.
Assuming the officer survives the critical incident (too many of them don’t), the subsequent handling of it can make a big difference. The playbook on that has changed dramatically in the last few years.
I don’t always agree with PERF’s policy positions, but I am really glad they convene some of the brightest minds in policing today to produce products like this. Every one of their reports is a great place to start when trying to understand and navigate the ever-evolving policing profession.