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 a bachelor degree 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

5 ways to invigorate instruction through connection
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How to move from the sage on the stage to the guide on the side
What law enforcement can learn from averted acts of school violence
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While much attention is given to responding to attacks in progress, increased research provides hope for earlier intervention and prevention of school violence
Bystanders: One key to preventing school violence
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The focus of a new Secret Service report is how to improve the willingness of students and others to report concerning behavior
Why every police leader should read the 'Renewed Call to Action' report
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A reboot has been issued by former members of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, convened by President Obama in 2014
Moral injury: The missing link between stress and PTSD
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The recognition of moral injury could be a major advance in the understanding of stress-related challenges to officer wellness over the course of a career
Should law enforcement keep enforcing traffic laws?
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A majority of respondents to a recent survey support revising laws to remove the authority of police over minor violations that now are grounds for a vehicle stop
An integrated technological approach to school attack prevention and response
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How "the safest school in America" is protecting its most precious assets
A small agency with big ideas
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The Willard Police Department offers a template for community outreach and engagement
A video for wellness reform: 'PTSD911'
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Combating the idea that stress injuries to the brain occur only in the weak-minded is essential to embedding mental health into the first responder culture
Having the last word
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What should law enforcement leaders make of a retiring officer’s last radio call that went viral for all the wrong reasons?
Make sure your mission statement matches your actions
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A police mission statement should establish, in the fewest words possible, the ultimate measure for every decision of the agency
2022 in review: The top police news of the year
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A roundup of the biggest stories impacting law enforcement in 2022
Would you be voted out? 5 lessons for police leaders from Elon Musk’s Twitter escapades
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Musk is a living lesson in leadership, risk-taking and change. Can police leaders learn anything here?
What officers said were the biggest challenges of 2022 (and why leaders should pay attention)
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Cops want to be part of the solution to the problems and challenges they face – maybe leaders and politicians should be willing to listen to the people doing the real work
Was the Tampa chief just exercising the privilege of professional courtesy?
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Whether you are a rookie or a chief, be a good citizen and take the ticket
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