Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the Future of Policing Institute fellows are theirs and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
The Police-Industrial Complex Is a Choice
The future of policing will not be shaped by technology alone. It will be shaped by whether police leaders can harness innovation while ensuring that public trust, transparency, and accountability always come before corporate interests.
The Kill Switch
By 2035, artificial intelligence has transformed public safety. Emergency response is faster, crime is lower, and fewer officers and civilians are dying. Then, without warning, the entire system shuts itself down.
The Kill Switch, written by Future Policing Institute Fellow Craig Solgat, is a Foresight Files story about the slow transfer of judgment from people to machines, the danger of ethical compromise, and the point at which public safety can no longer be separated from public consent.
FPI Develops Guiding Principles for Responsible AI in Policing
By requiring algorithmic fairness, transparency, and strong oversight, the Guiding Principles for Responsible AI in Policing offers an ethical framework for using AI responsibly in law enforcement. The principles keep human judgment at the center of consequential decisions and help ensure emerging technologies advance equal justice, protect civil liberties, and strengthen public trust.
From Fingerprints to License Plate Readers: Why Innovation Matters in Public Safety and What History Can Teach Us
FPI Fellow Chief Jason Potts has crafted a compelling discussion of how history's most controversial policing technologies became indispensable tools — and what that lesson means for license plate readers, artificial intelligence, and the future of public safety.
Future Leadership Development: The Policing Leadership Academy
What if the most powerful crime-fighting tool in your department isn't a technology — it's a leader? In this episode of Future Policing, Kenneth Corey, a career NYPD executive now leading the Policing Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago Crime Lab, makes the case that American policing has vastly overinvested in equipment and technology while neglecting the one thing that actually moves the numbers: leadership. If you lead a police agency — or want to — this conversation is for you.
Latest Future Policing Podcast Episode: Combating Fentanyl
In this Future Policing episode, former DHS official and cyber expert Jake Braun explains how the Sinaloa Cartel uses modern technology — like drones, the dark web, and cryptocurrency — to distribute fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, creating what he calls a “mass poisoning.” He argues that traditional “kingpin” takedowns don’t work and that law enforcement should adopt an AI-enabled, counter-terrorism-style “counter-network” strategy to dismantle the cartel’s infrastructure.
Ethical Fading and the Future of Policing
What if the greatest threat to police integrity isn't corruption — it's the slow, invisible process by which people stop seeing their own misconduct as wrong? Ethical fading moves silently through hiring decisions, training halls, daily operations, and the highest levels of command — reshaping what feels normal until misconduct becomes routine. This article by FPI Fellow Captain Craig Solgat confronts that threat head-on and lays out what policing must do before the cost becomes irreversible. Ethical fading doesn't announce itself — it quietly rewires how officers, supervisors, and institutions define what's acceptable. This article, by FPI Fellow Captain Craig Solgat, traces how that erosion moves through every level of policing and what it will take to stop it.
Ring, AI, and the Dog That Opened the Door
Ring’s "Search Party" feature, while marketed as a helpful tool, raises concerns among privacy experts that small, seemingly innocent steps could lead to widespread surveillance.
Black Swan Events 2026
A black swan event refers to a highly unpredictable and rare occurrence that has a profound impact, often explained away only after it happens. In 2026, the world faces the possibility of such events, threatening to upend global stability with revelations that challenge our understanding of the universe or disasters capable of reshaping geography.
These incidents are not just newsworthy moments—they represent pivotal turning points that could force humanity to confront its vulnerability and insignificance. As society stands on the edge, the unlikely may become inevitable, leaving lasting effects on the trajectory of human history.
Policing in 2026
The Policing in 2026 report predicts a transformative shift toward "agentic" AI, drone integration, and a "Cultural Pivot" that prioritizes psychological safety and moral courage to bridge a growing legitimacy gap in a complex, polarized society.
New and Emerging Trends in Cold-Case Homicide Investigations
Cold-case homicide investigations are rapidly evolving, ushering in a new era where cutting-edge DNA recovery tools, advanced ballistics intelligence, and innovative genetic genealogy practices are transforming long-forgotten evidence into actionable leads. With dedicated cold-case units, smarter forensic strategies, and victim-centered approaches, agencies now have sharper tools and clearer frameworks to revisit unsolved murders, connecting the dots that technology couldn’t reach just years ago. Discover how these groundbreaking trends are not only redefining investigative work — but also offering renewed hope and justice for families who have waited decades for answers.
Who Are the Police? Why the Word Matters More Than Ever
When everyone wears “POLICE” on their vest, who do the people truly see? In this powerful reflection, retired Chief, U.S. Marshal, and FPI Fellow Noel March challenges America to rethink what — and who — the word police really means. He argues that blurring the line between local officers and federal agents risks eroding the fragile trust at the heart of community policing. A must-read for anyone who believes words — and trust — still matter in American policing.
Trust Tuning in the Heat of Crisis
Collaboration moves at the speed of trust, and as today’s challenges grow more complex, success depends on our ability to work seamlessly within organizations and across them. That’s why the familiar phrase “trust but verify” deserves a closer look — it’s inherently contradictory. If trust is present, constant verification isn’t needed; if verification dominates, then trust was never truly there. For leaders, the path forward isn’t blind faith or endless suspicion, but the deliberate work of building, calibrating, and tuning trust to fit the moment.
How police can prepare for AI, Doxxing and Disinformation
This episode of Police1’s Policing Matters podcast, hosted by retired San Francisco PD Deputy Chief, and Future Policing Institute Fellow, Jim Dudley addresses the growing threat of AI-driven disinformation, doxxing, and deepfakes to police operations and personnel. How police can prepare for AI, Doxxing and Disinformation highlights the shrinking gap between online agitation and real-world consequences, emphasizing the need for police to proactively monitor social media, rapidly disseminate verified information, and protect officers' digital footprints. The discussion also provides practical strategies for command staff and field supervisors to combat coordinated inauthentic activity and prepare for potential disruptions.
What Can LEOs Do When Attacked By Bots?
The fight over bot armies in Hollywood may seem like gossip, but the same digital tactics are poised to hit policing—and most departments aren’t ready. Bot-driven disinformation can turn everyday cases into credibility crises, spreading lies, stirring unrest, and even endangering officers. This article argues it’s not if but when agencies will face such attacks, making preparation essential. From monitoring spikes in online chatter to issuing timely, accurate statements and protecting officers under fire, it offers a blueprint for survival. Departments that act now will safeguard trust and integrity; those that don’t risk being overwhelmed.
Redefining Command Leadership: Building Adaptive Culture and Organizational Integrity from the Inside Out
This article emphasizes that organizational leaders, especially in policing, must prioritize fair and humane internal processes, intentional culture-building, and long-term stewardship to build trust and effectively evolve their agencies. Without these efforts, departments risk disengagement and fractured trust both within and with the public.
Policing’s Hero Mentality
What if policing wasn't the first response – but the final one? In The Hero Mentality, Captain Craig Solgat, a FPI Fellow, proposes a bold, future-focused vision of policing where police are deployed not by default, but with deliberate purpose.
Policing on the Front Lines of a Changing Climate
An officer evacuating residents from a wildfire, not chasing robbers. A trooper searching for survivors in a tornado's wreckage, not for fingerprints. These fictional scenes reveal a growing reality for law enforcement worldwide. This post explores the concept of "adaptive policing," a critical shift in police work needed to confront the escalating challenges of climate change and keep our communities safe.
From Binary to Balanced: A Third Perspective on Immigration Reform
America’s immigration debate has become paralyzed by binary thinking: open vs. closed, welcome vs. deport. But what if that framing is the real problem?
This article by Chief Barney Melekian (ret.) explores how simplistic narratives have sidelined meaningful reform. He shares a bold, common-sense path forward that acknowledges the humanitarian crisis, the burden on local agencies, and the urgent need to move past political stalemates.
The Flashpoint at Home: What the Israel-Iran Conflict — and now U.S.Involvement — Means for American Policing in the Near Future
U.S. airstrikes on Iran raise terror risks and protest potential at home. What police leaders must do now to safeguard soft targets and public trust?
This article outlines how the potential ripple effects of U.S. intervention – rising fuel prices, dual-grievance mass protests, and the threat of sleeper cells or radicalized lone actors – are converging to create serious operational and ethical challenges for police agencies across the country. Click here to read the article.