Much of Edward Poulson’s professional career has been devoted to the law enforcement community. He has a passion for serving the needs of the public, and has consistently demonstrated his commitment to public service over a 20 year career with the Oakland Police Department.

One skill that Edward Poulson developed over his extensive career was the ability to be prepared for critical situations, such as the need to ready oneself for the possibility of a riot. An innovator with a knack for both spotting and correcting department inefficiencies, Edward Poulson developed helpful policies and procedures for the Oakland Police Department that are an integral part of police response to this day.

During the trial of a former BART police officer, for instance, Edward Poulson was assigned the responsibilities of logistics chief. As logistics chief for the department’s response to the oncoming verdict, Edward Poulson was charged with the duties of preparing an adequate response to the possibility of civil unrest. He was assigned the task of assembling a team of professionals would be a part of both the planning and operational phases of the response.

As the logistics staff, Edward Poulson was responsible for providing direction to the team, and to ensuring that materials, services, facilities, communications and more were available and ready for the possibility of an incident. All in all, the logistics function involvement 14 primary areas that were to work in concert with one another in order to ensure the operation’s success. The operation, says Poulson, ended up being a success, and public safety and order were maintained throughout the event.