Police1 recently surveyed 1,777 officers from across the country with a critical question: Does your agency’s leadership understand the day-to-day realities of patrol?
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Only 30% agreed. More than half — 52% — disagreed outright.
But the real takeaway came when officers were asked whether senior leaders should periodically work a full patrol shift. An overwhelming 84% said yes.
You used to fill out surveys like this one. Now you’re the one being evaluated. These responses came from your officers — and they’re talking about you.
📥 Download the full “What Cops Want” report here
How the drift happens
No one chooses to lose touch. It happens gradually.
Promotion pulls you away from the street and into meetings, reports and administrative responsibilities. The radio becomes background noise. Before long, you’re managing a shift you no longer experience firsthand. Your people often notice the distance before you do.
As General Colin Powell famously observed, the day people stop bringing you their problems is the day you’ve stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you no longer care.
The survey’s write-in comments echoed a common theme. Officers weren’t asking for an easier job. They wanted leaders to trust them, avoid unnecessary micromanagement and spend time understanding what patrol looks like today.
That last point is telling. When 84% of respondents say leaders should periodically work a patrol shift, they’re not asking for a symbolic gesture. They’re asking leaders to experience the realities they face every day.
This wasn’t the opinion of a vocal minority. The survey captured responses from 1,777 officers representing large agencies, small departments and nearly every state. When that many officers reach the same conclusion, it’s worth paying attention.
More importantly, it’s an opportunity.
The gap between leadership and patrol may be wider than many agencies realize. Leaders who make a deliberate effort to stay connected to frontline realities can quickly distinguish themselves from their peers.
How to close the gap
Bridging this divide doesn’t necessarily require a major budget initiative or organizational overhaul. It requires intentional leadership.
- Stay on the radio: You can’t effectively lead a shift you don’t understand. Take calls when appropriate. Ride along. Back your people. The goal isn’t to take over the shift. It’s to stay fluent in the job as it exists today, not as you remember it from years ago.
- Ask, then listen: Walk into a briefing and ask a simple question: “What’s the dumbest thing we make you do?” Then listen. Don’t defend the policy. Don’t justify the process. Don’t explain why things are the way they are. Hear the answer. Fix one legitimate frustration and your credibility grows quickly.
- Carry the truth upward: Orders naturally move down the chain of command. Frontline realities often don’t move up unless someone carries them.
- If officers tell you a software platform consumes an hour of patrol time every shift, translate that concern into information decision-makers can act on. Leaders serve as a bridge between strategy and execution. Information has to flow both directions.
- Say it straight when you can’t fix it: Officers can accept a “no” when there’s a legitimate reason behind it. What frustrates them is silence, avoidance or the appearance that nobody is willing to acknowledge the problem. When you can’t solve an issue, explain why. Honest communication builds trust even when the answer isn’t what people want to hear.
💻 Watch our on-demand webinar: The hidden costs of the patrol shift
The bottom line
A majority of officers surveyed believe their leaders do not fully understand the realities of patrol work. You can’t change that perception across the profession, but you can change it within your organization.
The most striking number in this survey wasn’t the 52% who said leadership doesn’t understand patrol realities. It was the 84% who said leaders should periodically work a patrol shift. Officers aren’t asking leaders to do their jobs for them. They’re asking leaders to understand the job they’re leading.
The question is whether leaders are willing to act on what they’re hearing.
🎙️ Listen to the podcast: Why proactive policing remains policing’s toughest balancing act
Policing Matters host Jim Dudley and Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story discuss the barriers identified in the “What Cops Want in 2026″ survey that prevent officers from engaging in proactive policing
