A chance conversation set Jennifer Hyland on a path she never planned: from late‑20s recruit to deputy chief overseeing major crime, patrol, and the kind of cases that haunt even seasoned investigators. What she learned along the way isn’t the hero myth. It’s a set of grounded habits—judgment, restraint, and relentless investigation—that actually keep people safe and put predators behind bars.

We start with the early years: the culture shock of patrol, the pressure to “prove” yourself, and the moment she stopped performing and started policing as herself. Jennifer explains why rookie placement matters more than tradition, how the RCMP’s one‑size‑fits‑all training falls short across remote and urban posts, and why the real superpower in policing is casework that survives court, not muscle that wins a moment. She walks us through the split‑second call to disengage when instincts say a stop is about to turn, and we compare the very different risk signals created by Canada–U.S. gun laws.

Then we go deep on leadership. Jennifer was pushed into promotion by a tyrannical boss and built her command style in reaction to that harm: show up in briefing, credit frontline work, bridge patrol and detectives, and use bodycam video for learning, not just blame. Her most gripping account centers on Canada’s most infamous serial killer, Robert Pickton. As a patrol officer, she stopped him on the street while he hunted sex trade workers. Years later, her notes helped anchor testimony that tied the stop to a night of horrific violence. The takeaway is sobering: you don’t “win” cases with force—you win them with trust, documentation, and patience.

Finally, Jennifer shares why she wrote Tight Rope. A colleague once told her she seemed “perfect,” and that illusion kept others from stepping up or seeking help. So she broke the spell, writing about the quiet forms of PTSD, the loneliness of command, and the heartbreak of handing in a badge even when the job has taken its pound of flesh. It’s not a tale of despair; it’s a practical call to b

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