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California Police Chiefs Association: Supporting Executive Leaders and Wellness Initiatives in Law Enforcement
Leslie McGill (To the right), Executive Director of CPCA, with her dedicated staff
Law Enforcement personnel experience demanding roles, often under extremely stressful conditions. Compassion Institute’s Courageous Heart (CH) Programs set individual officer wellness and self-care in the context of the current realities of the job. That’s just one reason why we’re honored to be part of the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) Partner Program. Our dedicated CH team gains invaluable insights participating in the CPCA Annual Training Symposium as well as their Women Leaders in Law Enforcement Conference (WLLE).
CH’s Program Director Julie Learmond-Criqui sat down with Leslie McGill, the Executive Director of the California Police Chiefs Association to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Police Chiefs in California today. She also shares innovations in organizational wellness for these “Cal Chiefs.”
How long have you led the California Police Chiefs Association, and what excites you about being the Executive Director of the organization today?
I have had the pleasure and honor of serving CPCA’s members for 22 years after being appointed as Cal Chiefs’ first stand-alone Executive Director on July 1 2002. I have a passion for my members, the profession, and for service. It gives me joy to be able to help provide the tools, resources, training, and advocacy through CPCA so today’s law enforcement leaders can be successful — and serve and protect their communities.
I also lead an amazing team of committed professionals who share my passion. The Cal Chiefs’ staff have taken this association to the next level. Their creative and innovative ideas continue to amaze and inspire me. I am proud to work alongside them every day.
How does CPCA support police chiefs in California? What are the top 3 challenges and opportunities they face today?
Cal Chiefs’ vision is to advance California law enforcement leadership and shape the future of policing. Our mission is to serve as the voice and resource of choice for these leaders. We work to achieve our vision and exemplify our mission in many ways with our two key strategic intents being around professional development and public policy advocacy.
We want to ensure that today’s and tomorrow’s police chiefs are prepared for the challenges facing many organizations and cities. We provide many professional development opportunities through the symposiums, training courses, institutes, and summits we hold.
Our public policy advocacy is key to our members’ abilities to successfully protect the members of their communities. We sponsor legislation to help the profession and work to defeat legislation that would be harmful. We have been successful in both areas, and also with getting legislation amended to meet our members’ concerns. Several of our advisory committees assist with policy and training development as well as provide volunteer opportunities for chiefs to engage and network.
One of the key benefits we developed just for chiefs is our new Executive Peer Support Program. We recognized the need for a confidential and specialized support system specifically tailored to the unique challenges and stressors faced by police executives. The program is a safe and confidential space for our current and retired chief members to discuss the complexities of their roles, share experiences, and seek guidance from peers who understand the intricacies of executive leadership in law enforcement. We provided 24-hours of California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified peer support training to 25 chiefs and retired chiefs.
And through the company Lexipol, we developed a mobile app that chiefs can download that has the names, bios, areas of experience, and contact information — so if they are in need of support from a peer, it’s just a tap away. This was the first program of its kind in the country. With today’s focus on wellness and mental health for the professional, our wellness committee was committed to developing this program which we launched last December.
As far as the top challenges facing chiefs, officer and dispatch recruitment and retention also continues to be a huge problem. As a result, many agencies are very understaffed. The issue of homelessness remains a concern as well as retail theft and fentanyl (a deadly opiate drug). The growing proliferation of guns in communities is also a challenge.
Opportunities open to chiefs include the ability to have an impact on changing the culture in their organization and to mentor those in their organization who can succeed them. Additionally, they can expand the use and role of technology in their agencies — like implementing real-time crime centers, expanding drone use and exploring ways AI can assist them and the members of their agencies.
How is CPCA helping to shape the future of policing? What role do you see wellness having for law enforcement personnel in the future?
The association works to shape the future of policing by providing innovative training programs and opportunities for police to collaborate on topics of importance. For example, our Technology Committee created an AI working group. This group developed an AI Resource Hub for members on our website and reviewed a policy around AI use by law enforcement for Lexipol.
We also shape the future through our advocacy efforts. We sponsored legislation to develop a Modern Policing degree program that new recruits would need to complete to be in law enforcement. And two years ago, we worked with the California Governor’s Office to provide $50,000,000 for agencies to use to improve their wellness programs.
Wellness continues to be a huge issue for the profession. Too many officers take their lives — even those who have retired. More officers are going out on Workers Comp (Worker’s Compensation) due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues. As a result, agencies are working to not only create peer support programs, but to create an overall culture of organizational wellness. Wellness is more than a mobile app or a support program — and agencies with a good wellness culture often find it easier to retain officers.
The Women Leaders in Law Enforcement® [WILLE] Training Symposium is an amazing annual event. What is special about this conference, and how does CPCA support women leaders in law enforcement?
CPCA launched this event in 2006 to provide a statewide opportunity for women in law enforcement to come together for professional and leadership development, networking, mentoring, and coaching in a supportive and energetic environment. The symposium expanded on a workshop that two Bay Area women, Alana Forrest and Lacy Burt, had organized for a few years that was growing in popularity. It started as a one-day conference with 540 attendees, then it expanded to two days. Now it’s a three-day event, and last year, it had 2,000 attendees. There are still many agencies that do not have many female officers, and sometimes a conference attendee is the only female in their agency and doesn’t have a peer to reach out to. WLLE connects and motivates women at all ranks and works to encourage the promotion of women to higher ranks, as well as leading in every level in the profession. Dedicating staff and resources to this event —now in its 18th year — is important to Cal Chiefs. And many of our chiefs attend to support those in their agencies they send. This year, CPCA’s president is Foster City Police Chief Tracy Avelar, she is the 2nd female president in the association’s history.
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