A good night’s sleep is priceless. I think most people would agree with that statement.  However, do you believe it enough to apply that statement to your life and the lives of those you lead? If you do, your health, your outlook on life and your ability to lead will improve dramatically. Police officers work long hours, extra duty jobs and work schedules that may not be conducive to a good night’s sleep. Shift work and a lack of sleep can take a toll on the health of officers and contribute to poor performance. Many police officers in my area, including the Dunwoody Police Department, work 12-hour shifts.  12-hour shifts can be significant for time off but challenging for those officers trying to get a good night’s sleep. Some specialized assignments have demanding schedules, which cause poor sleep patterns for those officers assigned to the positions. As a Detective with the Marietta Police Department, I worked many long hours and operated long periods of time with little sleep.  I worked 66 hours overtime in one week working a homicide case where a child was killed.  Although that case was a bit unusual, it is a representative sample of the type…

A resume is important.  In fact, without a good one, you will never make it into the interview process. In my experience, top quality candidates have similar resumes.  There are usually many applicants that have the required knowledge, skills, ability and experience to lead the organization in any given search. What sets each applicant apart is their interview. This is also true if you are participating in some type of promotional process inside your agency.  You will likely have to participate in an interview. Your interview can be the difference between you moving on in the process and ultimately getting the job you seek or getting cut from the process. Avoid these 18 mistakes in your next job interview. 1. Short Answers If your response to any question is less than 30 seconds, you probably did not provide a thorough enough answer to the question.  Listen carefully to any instructions before the interview that relate to time.  I like to give some guidelines when I am conducting an interview.  I usually say if your answer is 30 seconds long you didn’t talk long enough and if your answer is 10 minutes you probably spoke too long.  The point is not…

I stepped into my first roll call as a 21-year-old rookie on October 15, 1981.  I remember that day like it was yesterday. My path was unsure and I was extremely nervous. I sat down in a seat that had no seat in front of it.  Our “roll call” room also served as the municipal courtroom for the City of Marietta.  Unfortunately for me, I didn’t realize that the seat I sat in was the favorite seat of a tall officer who liked that particular seat because it was the only one without a seat in front of it. Officer Ray Smith towered over me with his hands on his hips and said, “You’re in my seat.”  I mumbled an apology and quickly moved to another seat. As I changed seats, I began to question my job choice.  It wouldn’t be the last time this happened early in my career. Why did I want to be a police officer? I took a $100 a week pay cut to take this job, and I was already questioning my choice.  In the end, I stayed because I wanted to work where I could indeed make a difference. I took a stroll down…