Edward Poulson: Analyzing The Situation

Edward Poulson is a senior manager with more than twenty years of experience in law enforcement with the Oakland, California Police Department. He joined the force as a Patrol Officer, and during his career has also been a Background Investigator, a Field Training Officer, a Sergeant in Criminal Investigations and in Internal Affairs, and as a Lieutenant, a Patrol Watch Commander. By 2008, Edward Poulson was a Captain of Police.

Edward Poulson also holds several degrees, not all of them relating to police work. He earned an Associate of Arts degree in Horticulture in 1983, several years before he joined the force. He later earned a Master of Public Administration degree, and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration. In 1999, he attended the FBI National Academy.

As a Captain of Police, Edward Poulson was in the department's Internal Affairs division, and he reported directly to the Chief of Police. His division took in, processed, and investigated up to three hundred complaints a year, alleging officer or staff misconduct. Many of the cases were highly sensitive, and high profile, priority projects. It was not uncommon for multiple projects to be underway at the same time.

In the Internal Affairs division, Edward Poulson managed the Department's an Internal Personnel Assessment System, which he describes as a highly effective and successful risk management system meant to reduce problematic behavior in police officers and staff. This was done under a Federal decree, under which the Oakland Police Department operates. When Edward Poulson examined technology then in use, he determined it was ineffective. "I took initiative to analyze the situation, identify the correct technology system and redesign the process." The new processes Edward Poulson helped put in place saved the department more than seven million dollars a year.