28 Years on the Force: Chief Angela Averiett on What It Really Takes to Change Police Culture
2/16/20261 hr 5 min
It’s often true that the most challenging conversations are often the ones most worth having. Conversations that bring up strong feelings, different experiences, and questions without easy answers. Policing, and how we can make it better, is one of those conversations.
San Leandro Police Chief Angela Averiett has spent nearly three decades in law enforcement, navigating the profession’s challenges while advocating for a healthier path forward. I met Angela through The Curve, my organization focused on helping policing evolve to meet the needs of a modern world. She’s a powerful example of forward-thinking leadership, explor...
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First 90 secondsAngela Averiett· Guest0:00
It wasn't until 2015 that I felt comfortable enough to cry in front of people. So one of my colleagues was killed in the line of duty, and I remember showing up to, to work that day, and that was the first time I allowed myself to cry in front of my coworkers And what was the response? Everyone else was crying, too. Everyone was a wreck, and I think it created a safe space for them to express that. That's another thing that we don't build into our culture, is that it's okay to be vulnerable because vulnerability, people mistake it as a sign of weakness. I think it's a superpower.
Simon Sinek· Host0:32
Law enforcement. The mere utterance of the word gets some people's blood pumping on both sides of the political aisle. But the fact is we need police in a civilized society. The question we have to grapple with is: what's the best way for a modern police organization to operate in today's world? Here's what I've learned. Nearly all of the scandals the police have had almost always boil down to the same issue, a lack of good leadership or a broken corporate culture, which are completely interrelated. That's why I invited Chief of Police Angela Averett to join me on the podcast. She's been a cop for over 27 years and has seen a thing or two in her time. She leads a mid-sized police force in California and has embraced many of the leadership and culture-building techniques that folks like the military and many modern corporations already use, and the results have been astounding. We touched on a lot of hot button subjects, and we shied