The following is excerpted from “25 on 2025: A police leadership playbook,” which offers expert insights and actionable strategies to tackle 25 key challenges in modern policing. Click here to access your free copy.
By Chief Scott Hughes
In 2025, law enforcement leadership training must emphasize practical strategies that address the realities of modern policing. Agencies should prioritize the following specific types of training to equip leaders with actionable skills:
Scenario-based, real-world training
To prepare leaders for the most common and critical situations officers face, agencies should implement regular scenario-based exercises that address key interactions, such as:
- Traffic stops: Simulations that effectively reinforce communication techniques, officer safety protocols, and managing routine encounters. These exercises should emphasize the importance of safe positioning and avoiding dangerous actions such as reaching into vehicles or standing in front of cars.
- Domestic disputes: Role-playing scenarios to practice de-escalation, managing volatile emotions, and maintaining safety for all involved.
- Pat-downs and resisting arrest: Training on maintaining control during physical interactions while adhering to legal and ethical standards.
Resisting the basics now can lead to disaster later. These foundational scenarios ensure leaders and their teams are proficient in handling routine yet high-stakes encounters with consistency and professionalism. Since nearly half of local law enforcement agencies employ fewer than 10 full-time officers (BJS, 2021), collaboration with neighboring departments can help smaller agencies share resources and expertise for this type of training.
Comprehensive communication skills training
Leadership training should focus on both routine and crisis communication. Agencies can offer:
- Media training workshops: Teach leaders to handle interviews, press conferences, and public statements under pressure, focusing on concise messaging and public trust.
- Social media simulation labs: Leaders practice crafting posts, responding to comments, and managing public sentiment in mock scenarios, replicating the immediacy and scrutiny of real-life events.
This training builds confidence and ensures leaders can communicate effectively in any setting, whether online or in person.
Prioritizing officer wellness
While progress has been made in addressing officer wellness, significant gaps remain. Leadership training must equip leaders with the tools to foster a culture of wellness within their departments. Agencies should:
- Establish wellness coaching programs: Train leaders to identify and address early signs of stress, burnout, or mental health challenges in their teams.
- Integrate wellness resources into daily operations: Provide access to peer support, mental health professionals, and fitness initiatives as a routine part of department life.
- Host resilience workshops: Focus on stress management, work-life balance, and building emotional resilience, ensuring leaders and officers can thrive under the pressures of policing.
By championing wellness, leaders can build healthier, more resilient teams while improving morale and retention.
Mastery of foundational knowledge
Leaders must deeply understand use of force, human performance, decision-making under stress, and case law. Agencies should:
- Host monthly legal updates: Keep leaders informed on recent court rulings and their implications through expert-led sessions.
- Integrate human performance science: Offer workshops on how stress, perception, and memory impact officer actions, using real-life examples to bridge science with practical application.
- Review use of force case studies: Analyze incidents in a structured format to help leaders articulate sound decision-making processes and improve policies.
This comprehensive training ensures leaders can make informed decisions, support their teams, and build credibility with officers and the public.
By incorporating scenario-based exercises, practical communication training, officer wellness programs and mastery of essential knowledge, agencies can create leadership programs that meet the demands of modern law enforcement. These priorities ensure leaders have the tools to inspire trust, lead effectively and guide their teams with confidence and expertise.
About the author
Chief Scott Hughes has been an esteemed member of the law enforcement community since 1997. Throughout his career, he has held several leadership positions in numerous departments and has been instrumental in driving cultural transformations through effective leadership, personnel management, and accountability.
Chief Hughes has been a distinguished instructor with the Ohio Peace Officer’s Training Commission for over two decades. He collaborates with attorneys to teach use of force, tactics, and case law. Additionally, he is a respected contributing writer and instructor for Calibre Press on various topics, including leadership, officer safety, and the “Legally Justified, But Was It Avoidable” training course.
Chief Hughes holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from the University of Charleston and a graduate certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia. Chief Hughes is a member of the Association of Force Investigators and has earned the prestigious Certified Law Enforcement Executive (CLEE) designation. Chief Hughes is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Class #291.
Chief Hughes chairs the Professional Services Committee for the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and is also a member of the Education Committee. He is a subject matter expert on various legal issues, such as use of force, police procedures, and police policy. In addition, he serves as a Law Enforcement Client Advisor with Fireproofed Leadership, where he works with clients on various law enforcement leadership and culture change initiatives, coaching, audits, and more.
Currently, Chief Hughes is the Chief of Police in one of Ohio’s fastest-growing suburbs, where he continues to serve with distinction and dedication.
