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The CopDoc Podcast - Season 8 - Episode 151

In a great conversation on The CopDoc Podcast, Steve Morreale engages with Jason Potts, Director of the Department of Public Safety in Las Vegas, Nevada, exploring the intersection of modern police leadership and evidence-based approaches to public safety. Potts, who also serves as president of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing, offers valuable insights that challenge traditional policing paradigms.

Potts' journey through law enforcement is as diverse as it is impressive. Beginning with the Coast Guard and Customs Border Patrol, he spent 22 years with the Vallejo Police Department in California before becoming the chief in Las Vegas, where he oversees a comprehensive public safety operation including deputy city marshals, detention facilities, and animal protection services. With approximately 420 employees and a $100 million budget, his department works alongside the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to maintain safety in the city's parks, tourist corridors, and detention facilities.

What distinguishes Potts' leadership philosophy is his commitment to evidence-based policing, a concept he defines simply as "informing your decisions based on the best available data, science and research." This approach, which originated in evidence-based medicine, involves systematically evaluating policing strategies through data analysis and controlled studies. Potts describes how his perspective transformed after participating in the National Institute of Justice LEADS (Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science) program in 2016, which changed his career trajectory and ultimately led to his leadership role in promoting evidence-based approaches nationally.

The conversation reveals Potts' practical application of these principles through randomized controlled trials he conducted, including studies on license plate readers and patrol visibility with lights on versus off. These small-scale experiments yielded actionable insights that improved operational effectiveness. Potts emphasizes that evidence-based policing doesn't replace officer instinct and craft but rather complements them with systematic analysis to determine what truly works.

Leadership dominates much of the discussion as Potts reflects on the challenges of entering a new organization and implementing change. He acknowledges making mistakes by "coming in hot and heavy" and learning to "inject change at rates people can absorb." His leadership philosophy centers on building relationships and trust, explaining that "trust is the currency of life" and "trust begets trust." He discusses the importance of setting clear expectations, providing tools and training, and ensuring consistency in discipline and accountability.

Potts emphasizes the critical nature of communication and "owning the message" rather than simply passing directives down the chain of command. He wants "owners, not renters" in his leadership team—people who fully embrace their responsibility for organizational culture and outcomes. This culture-building extends to his collaborative approach to strategic planning, where he involves officers at all levels through a Chief's Advisory Board to create a document they genuinely own and support.

The conversation concludes with practical advice for departments interested in implementing evidence-based approaches: s

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