Edward Poulson: Identifying Serious Problems

Edward Poulson is a veteran police officer with more than twenty years of experience. He has a proven track record in managing critical incidents, developing and implementing policies, managing large programs and leading cross-functional teams.

Edward Poulson's experiences as a patrol officer, and later as a Sergeant and Lieutenant, served him well as he advanced in his law enforcement career. He planned, implemented and managed the logistics for a police response to large-scale incidents, including several riots. He developed policies and procedures that are still in use as examples for use in all such incidents. As an Area Commander, he provided field leadership for hundreds of critical incidents including riots, bomb threats, hate crimes and officer-involved shootings, making rapid decisions on best approaches to achieve optimal outcomes.

The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is under Federal Consent Decree.  As part of this decree, the department was required to acquire, deploy and use a technology system to track officer activity. Officers on either side of the bell curve received different degrees of remedial action in an attempt to bring their performance into line with the majority of officers. "I determined that the technology that was in place was not going to stand the test of time," Edward Poulson recalls. "I determined that the current technology would not meet the requirements of the Federal Consent Decree at the time or in the future.  I also identified serious workflow flaws in the OPD's early intervention system."

Edward Poulson took it upon himself to analyze the situation, identify the correct technology system and redesign the process. "I presented the recommendations to senior management," he says, and then initiated and managed the early design phase of a replacement system. The new processes are expected to save the organization over seven million dollars a year.