Ep. 25 - I am kicking off 2022 on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day with a thoughtful and forward-looking interview with Chief Doug Shoemaker with the Colorado Junction Police Department. The Chief shares his passion for the profession, his enthusiasm for its future and his focus on relationship building.

Chief Shoemaker has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years. For more than ten years, he has served on various committees and sections within the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) including as chair the association’s Police Professional Standards and Ethics Committee. In 2021, he was elected the Fifth Vice President, a role that will lead to his becoming IACP President in 2026.

We begin locally, looking at the issues facing law enforcement in his city and in Colorado, in particular, the impact of the state’s elimination of qualified immunity. We also talk about his experience working in the state capital with the Jefferson City Police Department during which time he was the incident commander for "Journey for Justice," a march held following the Ferguson protests in 2014. We discuss how this helped prepare him to lead his department during the civil unrest that occurred in response to the murder of George Floyd.

Then we branch out on a national level, examining not only the challenges facing LE, but also the effort the profession is making to change and evolve.

We also touch on the Chief’s commitment to give back to the community by understanding underlying issues specifically around the factors that lead youth to end up in the juvenile justice system and what can be done to help them. He did this research as part of his dissertation for his doctorate in Organizational Leadership.

As I do in each episode, I ask what made him choose law enforcement; we talk about his “why” and the value of reflecting back on it.

@Abby Ellsworth 2022. All booking, interviews, production and editing done by Abby Ellsworth. Contact me at abby@ellsworthproductions.com.