Institutional Knowledge Project

When supervisors and leaders retire, they take with them decades of accumulated skills, experience and patterns of thinking about how things get done – also known as “institutional knowledge” – that may not be passed along. To collect that information, Police1 has created the Institutional Knowledge Project to create a repository of lessons learned around the management of people, policy, training, supervision and discipline that can be applied by future generations of police supervisors and leaders when handling similar situations.

To participate in Police1's Institutional Knowledge Project, click here. Questions? Email editor@police1.com.

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How do you maintain a safe position when faced with suspects in two different vehicles?
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An officer finds herself in an unsafe tactical position, a reminder to never forget the importance of cover and concealment
Responding to man with gun call: Incoherent subject
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"I ordered the subject to stop and drop the weapon. He continued to walk toward me."
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Ease the frustration of riot control with this less-lethal tool
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Here’s how to improve officer and suspect safety simultaneously
Maintaining a calm demeanor amid chaos
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Leaders have to exude an aura of control so the troops feel confident in going about doing their duty
How I used cover, space, time and calm to de-escalate a volatile situation
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A combination of factors enabled talking down an agitated subject in possession of two knives
Not so neighborly conduct
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Several incidents of vandalism and a victim at breaking point serves as a reminder of the value of persistence in policing
Why I decided the passenger-side approach was right for me
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Just because one officer doesn't like a certain tactic doesn't mean it's not feasible
'If you won't kill me, I will kill you!'
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An officer recounts the reasoning behind his decision not to use deadly force
How not to miss an opportunity to make a difference
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When we listen to someone's story, we just might find that the difference between ourselves and the person we encounter is razor-thin
Why you should do crisis rehearsal every day
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If you practice all the 'what-ifs,' you will be ready to respond to any call, even the one you dread the most
The day a little piece of Officer Friendly died
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A rookie quickly finds out that not everyone you encounter is pleased to see the cops
Learning from mistakes before they become tragedies
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Non-punitive near-miss reporting can prevent serious injury or line-of-duty deaths by relying on the group’s collective experience
Running with a cop to chase away crime
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How a SARA approach to crime response combined with community outreach netted positive results