August 2026: Tactical Preparedness

The complex nature of tactical preparedness demands a deeper understanding of how officers process stress, interpret unfolding events, and detect emerging dangers. By focusing on the mental, cognitive, and situational elements of readiness, leaders can capture what it truly takes to operate effectively in high‑stakes environments.

GUEST EDITORS: McKallen Leonard

Articles

• The Truth About Preparedness

  By Travis Norton, PhD, Lieutenant (Ret.), Norton Police Consulting
  Most chiefs will never personally manage a large-scale critical incident, but for those who do, that one critical incident can def...

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• Mental Fortitude

  By Liu Yingzhe, Mental Health and Well-Being Trainee; Shah Shaily Parag, Mental Health and Well-Being Trainee; Jansen Ang, PhD, Chief Psychologist; Ho Hui Fen, Senior Principal Psychologist; and Cheryl Tan, Lead Psychologist, Police Psychological Services Department, Singapore Police Force
  Police officers are routinely exposed to high-stress, emotionally demanding situation...

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• The Hazards of Certainty

  By Jason Everson, PhD, Project Manager, CentralSquare Technologies, and Edward McGuire Jr., Sergeant, Apache Junction Police Department, Arizona
  Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images It is 2:37 a.m. The shift is below minimum staffing. Dispatch activ...

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• Detecting the Unseen Threat

  By Bradley S. Robertson, Detective Sergeant, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon
  Police executives are navigating a security environment where the earliest indicators of hostile activity may not look like crime at all. They may look like a cluster of unexplained i...

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