Culture Starts With Listening - Chief Doreen Jokerst, Ed.D., Overland Park Police KS

The CopDoc Podcast - Season 11 - Episode 176

Dr. Doreen Jokerst on culture, leadership, and modern policing in Overland Park

Dr. Doreen Jokerst, chief of police in Overland Park, Kansas, joins Steve Morreale for a conversation about leadership, culture, technology, and what it means to build trust inside a police organization and with the community. She shares how her path through city policing, university policing, and doctoral study shaped a leadership style rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and accountability.We discuss how she uses listening sessions, transparent communication, and thoughtful technology governance to strengthen legitimacy, support officers, and improve service. This episode is especially relevant for leaders thinking about culture change, talent development, and the future of policing.

Key topics

• Dr. Doreen Jokerst shares how Overland Park Police Department serves a city of about 207,000 residents, with 270 authorized police officers and 85 professional staff
• She traces her path into policing back to age 8, when a visit to Alcatraz helped spark a lifelong interest in helping people
• She explains the value of university policing at CU Boulder, where she learned to work across different perspectives and saw public safety through a broader lens
• She describes culture as something you can feel, comparing it to a sailboat in the wind and emphasizing that leaders must listen before trying to change anything
• She says insatiable curiosity breeds innovation, and that asking why systems exist is essential to understanding an organization without disrupting what already works
• She details her listening-session approach, including writing down names, tracking themes, following up personally, and making sure people see action after they speak
• She emphasizes explaining the why, whether in organizational decisions or even traffic stops, because legitimacy grows when people understand the reason behind an action
• She discusses thoughtful technology adoption, including DFR, real-time information centers, data dashboards, and ALPR, with transparency and governance controls
• She explains why she values psychologically safe spaces, where staff at every level can challenge ideas and contribute to better decisions
• She makes the case for mentorship and continuity, saying leaders should develop successors so agencies do not feel like they are starting over every time leadership changes
• She connects culture and service, saying that if leaders treat people poorly inside the department, that behavior will show up in community interactions too
• She highlights the importance of representation and 30 by 30, noting that women remain underrepresented in policing and that hiring should reflect both diversity of thought and community identity
• She argues that success metrics must evolve, moving beyond arrests and citations toward data that better reflects harm reduction, trust, engagement, and problem-solving
• She describes her management style as coaching and stewardship, with clear expectations, regular check-ins, and delegation that still leaves people feeling supported
• She closes with optimism about the future of policing, saying the profession is honorable and that she wants to keep showing up like it is her first day

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If you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com