Where Are the Police Leaders

Chief Scott Hughes

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬?

Akron just spent $328,000 on an outside group called PERF to “fix” its use-of-force policy. The irony? Akron already has a policy that follows the Supreme Court cases Graham v. Connor and Tennessee v. Garner. That’s the law. It’s already there.

PERF is a progressive think tank known for pushing policies that go far beyond what the Supreme Court requires. Sounds good in theory. On the street? Unrealistic and dangerous.

As my friend Robert Meader says: “𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚." Out in the real world, situations are fast, messy, and unpredictable.

But here’s the question nobody seems to be asking: where are the police leaders? Where are the "leaders" willing to stand up and say, “𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒. 𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝐺𝑟𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑚. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡.”

Silence from the top is deadly. When bosses and people of influence refuse to push back, they send a message to the rank-and-file: 𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚. That kills morale, corrodes culture, and sets officers up to hesitate at the worst possible moment.

And then what? What happens when an Akron officer pauses under PERF’s unrealistic standard, and pays with their life? Who will be accountable then?

The truth is this: $328,000 won’t save an officer in a split-second fight for survival. Leadership will. And too many police executives today are chasing headlines and politics instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with their own officers. That’s not leadership, it’s abandonment.

👉 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐮𝐩, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲.

Stay Safe! 💙