Reflecting on the Major City Chiefs Association Conference
Michael Simon
Chief Strategy Officer
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As one of the leading places for thought leadership, the Major City Chiefs Association conference brings law enforcement executives from some of North America's largest departments. With sessions led by Chief Nisleit, San Diego, to Chief Dagher, Montreal, we heard the challenges of officer retention and wellness, to initiatives to better understand the communities we serve and policing professionalism and transparency.
As a former Chief of a community that isn’t a major city and quite candidly would be a precinct in many of them, it validated that while the size of agencies may vary, we have shared challenges in law enforcement, regardless of size. Leaders of any public safety organization, large or small, face the responsibility to assess, adapt, and implement change to benefit our communities and agencies.
We all recognize this is an era where decisions made in a vacuum or driven by crisis are irrelevant and harmful. Collaboration, innovation, and growth are no longer the marks of a “progressive.” These are now simply the public’s expectations of law enforcement leaders. It is through environments like MCCA that our leaders and profession grow.
To provide a premiere experience at a conference and present high-level content, hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in planning occurs. Yet, I always find humor in the fact that after an intriguing session, some of the deepest conversations with friends and peers happen in the hallways. These are the conversations that cause you to scribble down some notes, exchange a phone number, or occupy your thoughts on the flight home - in an attempt to become better at what you do for your community. As I look back on so many of those conversations, I’m left with this thought: regardless of the scale of our agencies and their unique challenges - We are bound by our commitment to collaborate, innovate, and grow in order to serve our communities and each other better.
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