Episodes

Vascular Neck Restraints (VNR's) have not caused an in-custody death or serious injury in the past 50 years. Yet, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) considers it to be deadly force. Despite this contradiction of facts, the DOJ has recently used this IACP recommendation as part of the consent decree with the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, which hasn't helped with any positive outcomes. This is just one example that shows how police chiefs across the country may ...

Consent Decrees, imposed by the Department of Justice, have been ruining police agencies and communities for 30 years but leaders continue to voluntarily enter them without seemingly understanding the immediate danger they pose to the future of their agency and the community. Just this week, the DOJ announced a Consent Decree in Louisville along with an investigation in Memphis. Both of these high crime cities will soon be destroyed beyond disaster. In this episode, Dr. Travis Yates speaks to ...

In this episode of the Courageous Leadership Podcast, Travis speaks to Chief Scott Hughes about the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and whether law enforcement leaders should trust professional organizations completely to steer their agencies. Chief Hughes recently asked the IACP President a question on social media and was blocked from further communication. Chief Hughes is a member of IACP and gives a balanced approach to how law enforcement leaders should use professiona...

The most recent bad idea by cowardly leaders is to lower hiring standards for law enforcement. Travis Yates details the future of policing and the communities they serve if this continues and how Courageous Leaders can fight back on one of the most dangerous ideas that could ever come to the profession. Join Our Tribe of Courageous Leaders: Get The Book Get Weekly Articles by Travis Yates Join Us At Our Website Get Our 'Courageous Leadership' Training Join The Courageous Police Leadership Allia...

Courageous Leaders are like unicorns. They are very rare but when you see one, it is amazing. While Madison Police Chief (ret.) Mike Koval is no unicorn, his leadership principles are a Master Class on what Courageous Police Leadership is. This is an episode that you must listen, embrace, and enact on a daily basis for the law enforcement profession to not only survive but thrive. Join Our Tribe of Courageous Leaders: Get The Book Get Weekly Articles by Travis Yates Join Us At Our Website Get ...

Law Enforcement Leaders continue to blame everyone else for the problems in the profession. Whether it is recruiting, retention or crime rates, the blame being cast on politicians, activists or the defund the police movement simply gives cowardly leaders the excuse needed to continue their destruction of the profession. Travis Yates places the blame squarely on those within the profession and details exactly what choosing courage will do for the fine men and women behind the badge. Join Our Tr...

This episode of "Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates" features Brian Surber in a special Roundtable Discussion of various topics of the day. Brian has an extensive career in the criminal justice system including law enforcement and prosecution. His best selling book, "Injustice For All: The (Familiar) Fallacies of Criminal Justice Reform" exposes the cowardice from leaders outside of law enforcement and what it has done to society. This special Roundtable Discussion covers a variety of iss...

In this episode, Travis Yates breaks down the major issues that agencies are getting wrong in law enforcement recruiting and offers actionable solutions to the recruiting crisis facing American Law Enforcement. Daniel Carr, an attorney and full time police officer, joins Travis to discuss the dangers of law enforcement leaders playing politics rather than leading courageously. Daniel discusses his writing endeavors with his "Police Law News" Substack and specifically his thoughts behind a new ...

In this episode, Travis Yates discusses the importance of leaders and how they ensure that their followers remain healthy. According to Yates, leaders must begin to see their officers as athletes; an incredible resource and high value commodity for the agency and the community that they serve. Joining Travis is former police officer Scott Medlin who is inspiring and encouraging police officers to be fulfilled, and excel, by focusing on their personal wellbeing in order to survive the career and...

A core principle of Courageous Leadership is "Courageous Nobility." Without it, nothing else in leadership will matter and today this is exactly what the law enforcement needs. Regardless of what society believes, leaders must have a moral compass both in their life and on the job. It is only through the lens of character and integrity that leaders can make difficult decisions in the correct fashion. Sergeant Jeff Daukas is a current patrol sergeant with over twenty years of service and he wil...

In this episode, Travis Yates breaks down the incident in Memphis and what has been missing in all the conversations about this horrific event. According to Yates, the author of "The Courageous Police Leader" what everyone is missing is that what happened in Memphis was a leadership problem. "If one of those officers was a leader, that never happens and that is exactly what every chief or sheriff should be asking themselves today. Maybe they’ve done the duty to intervene training or any of the...

Law Enforcement Recruiting is in the middle of a crisis. If leaders don't change direction and embrace new concepts, the profession will die a slow and painful death. It is up to Courageous Leaders to fight the status quo and fix recruitment now. Doug Larsen is a former police officer that has a philosophy on recruiting that every leader needs to hear. His previous clients have even told him to slow down the recruits so they can keep up with the hiring process. If this sounds crazy today, it's ...

There may be no other issue that exposes cowardly leaders than the issue of the 'Thin Blue Line' Flag. In this episode, Travis Yates discusses why this issue should be a seminal moment in law enforcement leadership and why those in the profession should be concerned with any leader that is unable to defend a symbol marked with over 100 years of tradition and honor. You can read Travis' article on this issue here. Join Our Tribe of Courageous Leaders: Get The Book Get Weekly Articles by Travis Y...

There may not be a bigger enemy for the law enforcement profession than the corporate news media. Law Enforcement Leaders have traditionally been unwilling or incapable of responding to the daily threats that the media provides. In this episode, Dr. JC Chaix discusses the tactics that are being used against law enforcement and how leaders should be dealing with this formidable foe. Join Our Tribe of Courageous Leaders: Get The Book Get Weekly Articles by Travis Yates Join Us At Our Website Get ...