A great research paper "Adaptive Skill as the Conditio Sine Qua Non of Expertise" with links to many other studies on developing adaptability. The paper covers a lot of ground I feel is of great value to policing who are tasked with dealing with complex societal problems, crime, crises, conflict and violence and require the essential skill of adaptability to effectively applying courses of action. Here is a General Audience Summary:

Developing Adaptive Expertise: A Synthesis of Literature and Implications for Training from University of Bath on Vimeo.

Don Vandergriff has his latest article in the Small Wars Journal, on how Auftragstaktik (Mission Command) developed and why.

"Undertake armed conflict when it creates an advantage. Seeking armed conflict for its own sake is dangerous." ~The Art of War 7:1.14-15

With all the talk of de-escalation these days in regards to policing, I thought I would write post that's asks the question, should you always avoid hostile confrontation?

• You should not avoid confrontation if it creates an advantage (answer).
• You should not avoid confrontation if it hurts the competition.
• You should never avoid confrontation.

Over the last several years there has been much discussion in policing on the terms warrior and guardian or I should say, warrior verses guardian. The political climate and or political correctness from both inside and outside policing has clouded and created much uncertainty, that puts both police and those they serve in danger. For generations, police have trained, fought crime and violence and died because of what some men did contrary to our way of life. The American way of life.

Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and best-known crime prevention organizations in North America. It’s been around a long time —since 1972 — and it’s a way for communities to band together, in conjunction with law enforcement, to make their neighborhoods safer and improve people’s quality of life.

I spent the last week facilitating The Sergeants Leadership Class for the Massachusetts Police Training Committee (MPTC). The class is a five day class full of officers who vary in years of experience on the job but are new to the leadership position of sergeant. The course is packed full of theory, leadership styles such as theory X &Y, McGregor’s Transformational leadership, etc. We cover personalities and Myers Briggs is taken by the new sergeants who get a chance to discuss and reflect upon who they and their fellow students are.