STRATEGIC PLANNING

Most strategic plans fail—both in the public and corporate sectors—due to a lack of collaboration, genuine buy-in, and follow-through. Process matters, yet few organizations invest the time and resources needed to develop and implement an effective plan.

Public safety agencies, in particular, struggle to objectively assess their current state and future goals. Simply having a strategic plan is not the same as using one to guide and evaluate operations.

CERTUS understands this—and that your organization and community cannot afford a failing process. You deserve a plan that works.

From design to implementation and monitoring, CERTUS will guide you every step of the way, ensuring a transparent, inclusive, and creative approach that delivers real value to stakeholders.

Let’s talk about how CERTUS can help you build and execute a flexible, multiyear plan to drive success in an unpredictable environment.

OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT

An operational assessment examines current processes, equipment, structure, personnel, policies, and practices to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.

Policing is a high-liability profession. Training, supervision, and policy decisions can expose a department, municipality, and community to significant risks. Consider these critical questions:

• Are we hiring and training the best people for the job?

• Do our policies promote public safety while respecting community rights?

• Are our officers acting appropriately—or engaging in behaviors they shouldn’t?

• Is force used lawfully, appropriately, and properly managed?

• Are we operating in line with best practices in U.S. law enforcement?

• Has a recent incident made you question whether things need to change?

With over 100 years of collective experience in U.S. policing, CERTUS conducts in-depth assessments tailored to your agency. We engage key stakeholders, analyze policies and practices, and deliver actionable insights to help you strengthen public safety and make informed decisions.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Leadership is the cornerstone of organizational success, yet public safety agencies often invest too little in developing their people. Many departments are over-managed and under-led.

CERTUS leverages decades of research and the Leadership Circle approach to develop effective leaders. Our program goes beyond self-assessment—we incorporate feedback from superiors, peers, and subordinates to provide a complete leadership profile. Then, we focus on real growth.

OUR PROGRAM

🔹 Leadership Circle Profile – A 360-degree assessment that benchmarks leadership effectiveness from multiple perspectives.
🔹 Leadership Seminar – A six-hour session covering leadership development stages, effective leadership traits, and the science behind the Leadership Circle Profile.
🔹 Debrief – A 90-minute, one-on-one review of assessment results, with a customized plan for transformational change.
🔹 Project & Coaching – Leaders apply their learning to a real-world project while receiving five one-hour coaching sessions to drive meaningful behavior change.

CERTUS is committed to delivering real ROI through ongoing client partnerships. If you're ready to elevate leadership, enhance performance, and boost morale, Exemplary Leadership and Coaching is for you!

RISK MANAGEMENT

Risk management is a cornerstone of successful businesses, yet many public safety organizations fail to adopt these best practices.

Effective risk management is an ongoing process—identifying emerging threats, analyzing risks, and implementing proactive measures to mitigate them. While public safety agencies excel at responding to criminal and terrorist threats, they often overlook internal policies, procedures, and practices that reduce efficiency, increase liability, and expose them to civil and even criminal consequences.

Key areas requiring sustained attention include:

• Use of force, vehicle pursuits, and crime control strategies that comply with the 4th and 14th Amendments, as well as state and local laws.

• Human capital management, ensuring early intervention systems detect and address problematic behaviors before they escalate into costly liability.

Public safety agencies invest heavily in recruiting, training, and equipping personnel—it only makes sense to protect that investment through proactive risk management rather than reacting to avoidable failures.

With experience in federal monitorships and court-supervised reforms, CERTUS helps agencies develop and implement comprehensive risk management programs to mitigate threats and strengthen organizational resilience.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIAGNOSTICS

Public safety agencies often operate as monopolies within their jurisdictions, responsible for protecting communities with little to no competition. While they share responsibilities with county, state, and federal partners, local agencies remain the primary providers of public safety services.

Monopolies can sometimes take their consumers for granted, leading to significant public dissatisfaction if agencies fail to understand and engage with the communities they serve. Public safety organizations must recognize that different communities have unique needs and find effective ways to address them.

CERTUS helps agencies identify, engage, and respond to their communities by:

• Defining key stakeholders and customer groups

• Developing sustainable and effective outreach strategies

• Understanding the diverse needs of different communities

• Measuring customer satisfaction and public perception

• Committing to continuous improvement in public safety services

• Building collaborative and transparent community partnerships

CERTUS can help you foster the relationships and implement the strategies needed to provide exceptional public safety services. Let’s work together to enhance community trust and engagement.

ACCREDITATION MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING

Accreditation is challenging to achieve and burdensome to maintain, yet communities expect their police departments to meet and exceed national and regional standards. As accreditation grows in importance, many agencies struggle with the process.

Some departments lack the internal expertise to navigate accreditation, while others simply cannot spare the necessary time and resources. This is where CERTUS can help.

Rather than pulling senior staff away for months, CERTUS provides expert support in organizing data, collecting materials, and ensuring compliance—a crucial service for busy agencies. Our specialists have successfully guided departments through both initial accreditation and reaccreditation.

CERTUS can:

• Conduct an environmental scan to assess your agency’s accreditation readiness

• Identify and address deficiencies before the application process begins

• Assist with compliance during reaccreditation by evaluating changes and gaps

Let CERTUS streamline the process and help your agency achieve and maintain accreditation with confidence.