Glenn College Leads National Efforts to Improve Police Supervision

Published Date September 09, 2025
News Type Public Address

Austin (Texas) Police Department Sgt. Cory Eads wants his profession to standardize the best training and mentorship with accessibility to all agencies.

By Joan Slattery Wall

Austin (Texas) Police Department Sgt. Cory Eads says he has faced many of the same challenges of generations of first-line police supervisors before him: obtaining the training and mentorship he needs for his role.

“I’ve realized in my supervisory journey that the gap from being a subordinate in the first part of one’s career to being a newly promoted supervisor is the most crucial period to learn as much as possible, gain the experience necessary to build credibility, and cultivate the confidence and skill set to excel at arguably the most vital rank in an organization,” said Eads.

Researchers at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs are working to address challenges in policing by improving the leadership capabilities of first-line supervisors, such as sergeants and lieutenants. As the first level of command over patrol officers, they hold critical positions that directly influence the effectiveness of police departments.

Building a Community to Improve First-Line Supervision

Eads is among first-line police supervisors from 65 departments across the country to participate in a Glenn College-based national Consortium to Advance Police Supervision (CAPS).

Robin Engel
Senior Research Scientist
Jennifer Cherkauskas
Research Scientist

“Over the next two years, this inaugural cohort of our nation’s top first-line supervisors will collaborate with academic and policing experts to share best practices, identify gaps and challenges, and develop innovative tools, resources and training that will be tested in their home agencies and then widely shared with the field,” said Robin Engel, Glenn College senior research scientist, who is leading the consortium with Jennifer Cherkauskas, research scientist.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said there is no more important rank for a chief than that of the first-line supervisor.

“Any change, whether it be policy, staffing, management or other change affecting the agency, will be delivered and driven by this rank. If you can’t deliver the ‘why’ to this group you will fail — plain and simple,” Davis said, adding that she wanted to be part of the consortium to initiate a culture change at her department.

Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis, left, talks to former Downtown Area Command Sgt. Brandy Blake Hanna-Morris about safety on Sixth Street.

“Sergeants need the autonomy and the ability to address issues within their area of responsibility. I need first-line supervisors to understand their significance to not only the officers who report to them directly but their significance to the chief and the community they serve,” she said.

“With this consortium, I’m thrilled and excited to be among the nation’s best first-line supervisors to assist Dr. Engel and her extremely talented and world-renowned team to hopefully formalize and standardize cutting-edge supervisor training and easily share those concepts for all departments to utilize in their training and development programs,” Eads said. “And more importantly, to do so in an evidence-based way using proven theories that are being studied by such phenomenal academics.”

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Supported by $1 million from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance, the consortium will explore topics including training, leadership, management, wellness and health, communication and conflict resolution, data-driven decision making, and policy, ethics and community relations. As best practices are identified, the consortium’s project team will formulate a comprehensive plan for developing new training, technical assistance and resources.

“When we think about police change or reform or advancing or innovation, we only think about the very top of the organization, and we neglect the most important, which is that first-line supervisor,” Engel said. 

A renowned group of visionary public safety leaders will serve on the CAPS Advisory Board to guide the consortium by providing insights based on decades of collective experiences and wisdom. In addition, a program team with nationally recognized practitioners and academics will partner directly with the CAPS first-line supervisors to develop tools and resources.

Advisory board member Charles Ramsey, retired police commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, has more than 50 years of experience in advancing the law enforcement profession in Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and Philadelphia and is a nationally known expert on community policing. 

What you’re doing at Ohio State really does become transformational in what I believe is the most critical role as far as supervision goes.

Charles Ramsey, Retired Police Commissioner
Philadelphia Police Department

“A lot of responsibility falls on the shoulder of sergeants. I think in the training they get through the consortium, they learn to appreciate their role and understand how it fits into the larger system of how a department operates and how we serve a community, and how they can play a larger role in this,” said Ramsey, recalling how his experience as a sergeant for the Chicago Police Department made him see he could do more and inspired him to advance his career.

“The real key,” Ramsey said, “is when people who are part of that first consortium cohort come back and tell their peers, ‘There’s really good training here, and you need to be part of it.’” 

Major Departments Join Three-Year, In-Depth Study

In addition to joining the consortium, three major law enforcement agencies in the Great Lakes region have stepped up to lead the country by partnering with Engel and other research colleagues and experts to identify best practices and provide recommendations to improve supervisory practices.

Experts at Ohio State’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs will collaborate with the Minneapolis Police Department, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Columbus (Ohio) Division of Police on the three-year project. They will conduct case studies to examine selection, training and evaluation practices of first-line supervisors. 

They will disseminate the research findings to inform practice and policy changes for police executives, policymakers, community leaders and first-line supervisors.

This will help agencies in the Great Lakes region and across the country enhance the quality of first-line supervision, advancing organizational changes and policing practices.

Robin Engel
Glenn College Senior Research Scientist

The study is supported by a grant of $536,002 from the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation.

Learn more details about the study and the goals of the three Great Lakes-area police departments. 

The private, nonpartisan philanthropy invests in public policies and strategies in the Great Lakes region in the areas of culture, democracy, education and economic mobility, environment, gun violence prevention and justice reform, and journalism.

The Glenn College research team includes Engel; Cherkauskas; Russell Hassan, the Ambassador Milton A. and Roslyn Z. Wolf Chair in Public and International Affairs; retired police Chief Joseph Milek, who served at the Cincinnati and Boulder (Colorado) Police Departments and led police departments at Penn State University, Xavier University and Oklahoma State University, as well as the U.S. Air Force; and research consultant Jennifer Hall, a sergeant with the Louisville (KY) Metro Police Department, where she directs the Performance and Implementation Unit, focusing on enhancing officer performance and implementing evidence-based strategies.

 

Read the latest edition of Public Address, the Glenn College magazine.