“We are attempting one of the most difficult tasks ever undertaken by civilized society, the prevention and control of crime.” — August Vollmer [1]
In policing, we are constantly searching for the next breakthrough. We attend conferences on artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, officer wellness, recruitment reform and evidence-based policing. Consultants promise transformational strategies. Vendors market revolutionary technologies. Police executives travel across the country looking for innovative solutions to increasingly complex challenges.
Yet many of the ideas being promoted as innovations today were championed more than a century ago by a police chief you may never have heard of who rode a bicycle to work. His name was August Vollmer.
Known by many as the father of modern policing in America, Vollmer served as chief of police in Berkeley, California, during the early twentieth century. Although his accomplishments are frequently cited in police leadership courses, few leaders take the time to read what he actually wrote. That is unfortunate because many of the challenges confronting police leaders today were challenges Vollmer recognized generations ago. [2]
If the saying is true that “if you want a new idea, read an old book,” modern police leaders should spend more time reading August Vollmer. They may discover that many of the profession’s newest ideas are actually among its oldest.
Recruiting the right people
“The police officer should be a college man.” [3]
When Vollmer made this statement, it was considered radical. In the early twentieth century, many police agencies hired officers primarily through political patronage systems with little emphasis on education, critical thinking or professional development. Vollmer believed policing should attract intelligent, adaptable individuals capable of solving complex social problems. He viewed education not as a luxury but as a necessity.
More than a century later, agencies across North America continue to struggle with recruitment. [4] Much of the discussion focuses on applicant shortages, hiring incentives and accelerated hiring processes. Yet Vollmer’s observation suggests that the challenge may not simply be finding more applicants but creating a profession that highly capable people want to join.
This question is particularly relevant as agencies recruit Generation Z. Research suggests younger candidates place greater emphasis on meaningful work, professional growth, wellness, flexibility and organizational culture than previous generations. [5] Many agencies successfully recruiting today are not simply marketing a job; they are marketing a profession.
In many ways, Vollmer saw this challenge coming long before most of us.
Evidence-based policing before it had a name
“The policeman should know why he performs his duties in a certain way and not merely perform them because someone else has prescribed them.” [6]
Long before the phrase evidence-based policing entered the profession’s vocabulary, Vollmer advocated for scientific inquiry, research and informed decision-making.He believed officers should understand not only what they were doing but also why they were doing it.
Today, police agencies increasingly rely on crime analysis, intelligence-led policing, hotspot strategies, risk modeling and performance metrics to guide decision-making. [7] Modern technologies have dramatically expanded analytical capabilities, but the underlying principle remains remarkably similar to Vollmer’s original vision.
The challenge for contemporary leaders is that evidence-based policing often competes with political pressure, tradition, anecdotal experience and public expectations. Vollmer would likely ask a simple question: If the evidence exists, why are we ignoring it? For leaders navigating complex issues ranging from recruitment to use of force and officer wellness, that question remains as relevant today as it was a century ago.
Technology is a tool, not a strategy
“Progress in police work depends largely upon the intelligent application of scientific methods.” [8]
Few police leaders embraced innovation more enthusiastically than Vollmer. He introduced bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, radios, fingerprint identification systems and forensic science techniques when many agencies viewed such technologies with skepticism. [9] Importantly, however, Vollmer did not pursue technology because it was fashionable. He pursued technology because it improved policing outcomes. That distinction matters.
Today’s police executives are navigating unprecedented technological change. Artificial intelligence, drones, real-time crime centers, automated license plate readers and advanced intelligence platforms are transforming public safety operations. Yet many agencies risk confusing technology acquisition with innovation.
Buying technology is easy. Transforming organizational performance is difficult.The agencies generating the greatest value from AI and advanced analytics are not necessarily those with the largest technology budgets. They are the agencies that align technology with strategy, training, governance and operational objectives.
Vollmer would likely recognize this mistake immediately because he understood that technology is an enabler, not a substitute for leadership.
Officer wellness was always a leadership responsibility
“The efficiency of a police department depends largely upon the physical and mental fitness of its personnel.” [10]
Although officer wellness is often discussed as a modern issue, Vollmer recognized the importance of officer well-being decades before the profession began formally addressing stress, trauma and resilience.
Today’s officers face challenges Vollmer could scarcely have imagined: social media scrutiny, viral video incidents, staffing shortages, cyber threats, information overload and persistent public criticism. [11] Despite these changes, the fundamental principle remains unchanged. Healthy organizations help produce healthier officers.
Many agencies have responded by investing in peer support programs, resilience training, fitness initiatives, wellness coordinators and mental health resources. These efforts are important, but Vollmer’s broader message was that wellness is ultimately a leadership responsibility.
Programs matter. Culture matters more. The agencies making the greatest progress in officer wellness are often those that create psychologically healthy environments, develop supportive supervisors and treat wellness as an organizational priority rather than a standalone program.
Community trust remains the foundation
“The police cannot successfully combat crime without the wholehearted support of the public.” [12]
Perhaps no aspect of Vollmer’s writing feels more relevant today. Contemporary discussions about legitimacy, procedural justice, transparency and accountability often feel uniquely modern. Yet Vollmer consistently emphasized the importance of public confidence and community relationships.
Today, trust is influenced by factors that did not exist during Vollmer’s lifetime. Social media can shape public perceptions in minutes. Body-worn cameras create new expectations for transparency. Misinformation and disinformation can spread globally within hours.
Despite these changes, the underlying challenge remains remarkably familiar. Public trust remains the foundation upon which effective policing rests. [13] Technology can improve transparency. Policies can improve accountability. Training can improve performance.But none of these tools can replace legitimacy.
Vollmer understood that trust was not granted through authority alone. It was earned through professionalism, competence, fairness and consistent conduct.That lesson may be even more important today than when he first wrote it.
The most surprising part: We are still debating the same things
One of the most remarkable aspects of reading August Vollmer today is not how different policing was, but how familiar many of the debates sound. More than a century ago, Vollmer argued that policing should become more professional, better educated, more analytical and more connected to the communities it served. He advocated for scientific approaches to crime, embraced emerging technologies, emphasized officer development and stressed the importance of public trust. [14]
Those same themes dominate police conferences, executive forums and professional journals today. Police leaders continue to debate educational requirements. They continue to discuss how technology should be integrated into operations. They continue to seek better ways to recruit and retain talented officers. They continue to explore evidence-based approaches to crime reduction. They continue to wrestle with questions of legitimacy, accountability and public confidence.
The similarities should not be discouraging. They should be instructive.The persistence of these challenges reminds us that policing is ultimately a human profession. While technologies evolve and social conditions change, the fundamental leadership challenges remain remarkably consistent across generations.
The lesson is not that policing has failed to progress. The lesson is that enduring problems rarely have permanent solutions. They require continuous leadership, adaptation and learning.Vollmer understood this. That may be why his writings remain so relevant long after the technologies he championed became obsolete.
The real innovation is remembering
August Vollmer never witnessed artificial intelligence. He never saw a drone, a real-time crime center or a body-worn camera. He never experienced social media, predictive analytics, digital forensics or cloud computing. Yet many of the leadership challenges he wrote about remain fundamentally unchanged:
- Recruiting talented people
- Developing professional officers
- Using evidence to guide decisions
- Leveraging technology wisely
- Supporting officer wellness
- Maintaining public trust.
The tools have changed. Human behavior has not. That may be the most important lesson modern police leaders can learn from August Vollmer.
In a profession constantly searching for the next innovation, we sometimes forget to revisit the thinkers who helped shape the profession in the first place. If you want a new idea, read an old book.You may discover that the future of policing was already being written more than a century ago.
References
- Vollmer A. The Police and Modern Society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1936.
- Carte GE, Carte EH. Police Reform in the United States: The Era of August Vollmer, 1905-1932. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1975.
- Vollmer A. The Police and Modern Society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1936.
- International Association of Chiefs of Police. The State of Recruitment: A Crisis for Law Enforcement.
- Gladis S, Dunlap CW, Kevorkian S. Facing the talent crisis in law enforcement, part 1. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.
- Vollmer A. The Police and Modern Society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1936.
- Sherman LW. The rise of evidence-based policing: Targeting, testing, and tracking. Crime Justice. 2013;42(1):377-451.
- Vollmer A. Crime Prevention and the Police. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1936.
- Oliver WM. August Vollmer: The Father of American Policing. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press; 2017.
- Vollmer A. The Police and Modern Society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1936.
- Violanti JM, et al. Police stressors and health: A state-of-the-art review. Policing: An International Journal. 2017;40(4):642-656. \
- Vollmer A. The Police and Modern Society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1936.
- Tyler TR. Why People Obey the Law. 2nd ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 2006.
- Walker S, Archbold CA. The New World of Police Accountability. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 2019.
