I have long suggested that the best answer can be found in job announcements for Chief of Police positions throughout the country. If you plan to have a full career in law enforcement, what better way to guide your professional development than by looking at what cities want in their Chiefs?

It is not often that I get asked about strategies for the written exam. The concept seems straightforward. Here are your materials. Study them. We will test how much you know.

As a former Captain, I preferred being around people who were ready to take on a challenge, regardless of their rank.

Nobody can argue that Jobs and Musk built extraordinary things by staying locked in on what mattered most. But what I also noticed is that while I accomplish remarkable things using this approach, it often comes at the expense of life itself.

I sat in on meetings restricted to most. I was forced to read, reread, and fully understand the department manual, statutes, and collective bargaining agreements at a level most officers never experience. Not because I wanted to but because the job demanded it.

McGregor's reaction was eye-opening. By his own account, outside of fight camp, he had spent nothing on himself. He had been buying cars and watches instead of caring for himself.

The tablet reads the question. The tablet records the answer. Assessors review and score those recordings later, against a fixed set of criteria.

I asked him what he had done to prepare himself. Did he have any boating certifications, advanced lifesaving skills, or a scuba diving certification?

Community meetings are one of the best oral board training grounds available to any officer. You show up, face an unpredictable audience, answer tough questions on the spot, and represent your agency professionally. That is exactly what an oral board asks of you.