Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D.

Passion for the Job

Joel Shults operates Street Smart Training and is the founder of the National Center for Police Advocacy. He retired as Chief of Police in Colorado. Over his 30-year career in uniformed law enforcement and criminal justice education, Joel served in a variety of roles: academy instructor, police chaplain, deputy coroner, investigator, community relations officer, college professor and police chief, among others. Shults earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri, with a graduate degree in Public Services Administration and bachelors in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Central Missouri. In addition to service with the U.S. Army military police and CID, Shults has done observational studies with over 50 police agencies across the country. He has served on a number of advisory and advocacy boards, including the Colorado POST curriculum committee, as a subject matter expert.

His latest book The Badge and the Brain is available at www.joelshults.com.

Follow Joel on Twitter @ChiefShults.

Contact Joel Shults

Full list of Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D. results

Training day: Documentary provides perspective on police mental health response
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Law enforcement agencies can stream “Ernie and Joe: Crisis Cops” for free through May 2022 to better prepare cops to respond to people in crisis
What officers and the public are thinking about mental health crisis response
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A recent survey of 1,000 adults shows fewer than one in 10 recommend mental health professionals respond alone with no public safety personnel
3 ways to be a listening leader
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Our officers desire to serve with pride. Leaders must be intentional about keeping that desire alive
Why dogfighting investigations matter
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Quality of life degrades with unenforced animal cruelty protections
Addressing critical issues through community policing
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COPS Office report summarizes creative ways LE agencies are deploying community policing principles
Why cutting police dollars is a false economy
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Calculations of the cost of crime refute the idea that reducing LE budgets is financially beneficial for municipalities
What can law enforcement expect from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland?
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Before Garland was Biden’s nominee for Attorney General, he was Obama’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court
New data gives hope for informed reform
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A foundation of data is essential in conversations from the squad room to the halls of legislative bodies
Every cop needs a checkup from the neck up
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If you find yourself blaming every one of your character flaws on the job something needs to change
Improving police training: Should we change subject matter or teaching methods?
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Learning involves more than exposure to the material on a lesson plan
2020 in review: The year in 5 minutes
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Looking back at the events impacting public safety this year
Why 2021 will be a year for extrospection
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We have to think like those who attack law enforcement in order to move forward
Will a Biden presidency breathe new life into community policing?
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Policing is currently subject to more social experiments than at any time in the history of the profession
2020 state ballot measures law enforcement should know about
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Whether the issues passed or failed, what's on state ballots is evidence of what is on the minds of voters
6 don’ts of directing traffic
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Frankly, I’m frequently disappointed by the traffic directing I observe as a motorist
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