For decades, Bill Westfall of The Gallagher-Westfall Group has encouraged tens of thousands of law enforcement leaders to “catch a cop doing something right.” As a part of his leadership training, Westfall has used this phrase with great frequency to encourage those that he trains to reinforce, coach, and encourage their officers as much—if not more—than they criticize, correct, and discipline. He has gone so far as to give out cups to his students with the phrase engraved on the cup with a thumbs up sign as a physical reminder to those who attend his training.
This fundamental concept of leadership and coaching is not a new one—although Bill Westfall’s encouraging phrase is a uniquely powerful articulation of it. Particularly in an era of unprecedented scrutiny for law enforcement officers, when a mistake is very likely to be captured on camera and broadcast for the world to see, it is possibly more important than ever to catch cops doing something right. A failure to do so by law enforcement leaders will inevitably lead to a “hands off” de-policing model that results in a decrease in public safety and public trust in the police.
In this two-hour webinar, Chief Harry P. Dolan (Ret.) will describe the various ways in which he has endeavored to catch his cops doing something right over the course of a 32-year career in law enforcement which included 25 years as a police chief in 4 departments.
CEO, Dolan Consulting Group
| Chief Harry Dolan (Ret.)
Harry P. Dolan is a 32-year police veteran who served as a Chief of Police since 1987. As one of the nation's most experienced police chiefs, he brings 25 years of public safety executive experience to Dolan Consulting Group. He retired in October 2012 as Chief of Police of the Raleigh (N.C.) Police Department, an agency comprised of nearly 900 employees in America's 42nd largest city.
Chief Dolan began his law enforcement career in 1980 as a deputy sheriff in Asheville, North Carolina and served there until early 1982, when he joined the Raleigh Police Department, where he served as a patrol officer. In 1987, he was appointed Chief of Police for the N.C. Department of Human Resources Police Department, located in Black Mountain. He served as Chief of Police in Lumberton, N.C. from 1992 until 1998, when he became Chief of Police of the Grand Rapids, Michigan Police Department. He served in that capacity for nearly ten years before becoming Chief of the Raleigh Police Department in September 2007. As Chief, he raised the bar at every organization and left each in a better position to both achieve and sustain success.
Harry Dolan has lectured throughout the United States and has trained thousands of public safety professionals in the fields of Leadership & Management, Communications Skills, and Community Policing. Past participants have consistently described Chief Dolan's presentations as career changing, characterized by his sense of humor and unique ability to maintain participants' interest throughout his training sessions. Chief Dolan's demonstrated ability to connect with his clientele and deliver insightful instruction all with uncompromising principles will be of tremendous value in the private sector.
Chief Dolan's unbridled passion to achieve service-excellence is a driving force behind Dolan Consulting Group. He is a graduate of Western Carolina University and holds a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Consent Questions
Download Course Materials
“Catching Cops Doing Something Right” in 2025 | Hour 1
“Catching Cops Doing Something Right” in 2025 | Hour 2
