By Kenneth Jackson
I write this from the perspective of a patrol officer, where leadership is rarely explained but always felt.
Leadership in policing isn’t missing. It’s misplaced. It lives in offices and on whiteboards. It’s crammed into emails and delivered carelessly, as if one size could ever fit all. But cops don’t work in templates. They work in moments that don’t wait for permission.
Before the first word is spoken
Cops judge leadership before it ever speaks. When brass steps onto a scene, something shifts. It’s the same quiet awareness that notices a vehicle circling the block or a person standing out of place. We register it and track it while staying focused on the task at hand. That instinct tells us immediately whether they’re there to help, to watch or to interfere.
That judgment isn’t cynical. It’s survival. Patrol officers are trained to read environments quickly, assess intent and recognize variables that can change a call completely.
Good leaders understand this. They don’t announce themselves or rush to take control. They arrive steady, aware and intentional, letting officers keep ownership of the moment while quietly communicating support.
They carry calm into intensity. Their eyes scan while their posture signals control without demanding it. They check in with a brief nod, ask simple but relevant questions and look for ways to help without overstepping.
I’ve also felt when it’s missing. A supervisor arrives rushed, steps in too early and fills the air with questions. What had been working smoothly starts to stutter and the rhythm slips.
Good leaders avoid this by practicing what I’ve come to recognize as CALM presence:
- Composed arrival – no urgency theater, no spotlight seeking
- Aware posture – eyes up, listening more than talking
- Limited input – only what helps the moment, nothing that complicates it
- Meaningful availability – close enough to assist, not hovering or vanishing
CALM presence lowers tension, preserves ownership and builds trust without a single order being given. Its absence is felt just as quickly. A supervisor who arrives rushed, fires off questions or steps in too early can introduce friction where none existed. Even well intentioned input can break rhythm, slow decisions and pull attention away from what matters most.
CALM presence does the opposite. It allows officers to move without hesitation and keeps the work steady. Trust grows not through commands but through restraint. The call resolves smoothly, not because leadership took control but because it knew when not to.
Whether it’s a hot call, shift brief or meeting, supervisors can apply this immediately: arrive composed and stay close enough to support without taking over.
Accountability that goes both ways
Supervising cops isn’t easy. Leaders carry pressure from above while trying to protect the people below. That pressure is real and often invisible to the people being supervised.
Patrol officers respect accountability. What they don’t respect is selective accountability. Good leaders hold officers to standards they are willing to live by themselves. They correct issues early and privately. They praise effort publicly and honestly. They don’t wait for discipline to be forced by outside pressure. Just as importantly, good leaders accept responsibility when something falls apart. They don’t hide behind policy or shift blame downhill.
Nothing builds credibility faster than accountability that cuts both ways.
Why this matters before crisis
Critical incidents don’t create leadership failures. They reveal them. They surface much earlier in missed conversations, inconsistent decisions and supervisors who never quite learn the people they are responsible for leading.
By the time a major incident unfolds, patrol officers already know whether they’re supported. They know who understands how they work and who doesn’t. They know whether leadership recognizes their strengths, accounts for their weaknesses and gives them what they need to succeed.
Just as importantly, they know whether their supervisor will stand firm when outcomes are uncertain or quietly disappear when scrutiny arrives.
Good leadership doesn’t save the moment. It prepares people for it.
Closing the distance
The answer to the leadership problem in policing isn’t found in slides, slogans or another round of training. It’s found in proximity. Leadership that moves closer to the work. That listens before directing and shows up without being summoned. Leadership that understands patrol not as theory but as a lived experience carried call to call.
Supervisors don’t have to wait for a crisis to practice this. On the next call, arrive composed, listen before directing and stay close enough to support without taking over. As patrol officers, we’ll notice.
How do you want leadership to show up when you’re on a call? Share below.
About the author
Kenneth Jackson is a Master Police Officer (MPO) with the Norman Police Department in Oklahoma. He has a strong professional interest in officer wellness, community trust, and decision-making under stress, and continues to pursue professional development within the field. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree while serving the citizens of Norman.
