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Multi-Day Conferences

Our two multi-day conferences are annual events that bring together policing professionals from across the state and beyond, to learn, network, and make connections with our industry partners.

The California Police Chiefs Association’s Annual Training Symposium provides professional development and networking opportunities for California’s police chiefs, their seconds in command and management staff. The symposium provides up to 13 hours of POST CPT from the more than 15 workshops offered during the program. Attendees get caught up on the latest in innovations in training, officer wellness and legislative and legal issues. The event also includes a trade show where attendees can see the latest in public safety technology and other products and services.

The purpose of the Rise Conference (formerly known as WLLE) is to bring together law enforcement professionals in a supportive and empowering environment, enabling us all to learn from the knowledge and experience of others. Rise is a unique opportunity to network and connect with women and men who can help you succeed in your future endeavors. The conference's mission is simple: to empower and inspire women in policing with purpose driven opportunities for connection, education, and community.

Technology is transforming every aspect of policing, and leaders must be ready to adapt. The CPCA Technology Conference is a focused 1.5-day event designed to give policing leaders practical tools, proven strategies, and clear roadmaps for implementing technology that strengthens safety, efficiency, and community trust.

Attendees will:

  • Explore emerging and proven technologies shaping modern policing.

  • Learn the “how” of selecting, funding, and integrating tech solutions.

  • Gain insights from peers who have successfully navigated implementation and adoption challenges.

  • Take home best practices, funding strategies, and model approaches to guide agency decisions.

This event is built for chiefs, command staff, IT leaders, and practitioners who want to move from exploration to execution. Whether upgrading current systems or evaluating new solutions, you’ll leave with the knowledge and confidence to make technology work for your agency.

Education Courses

Our education courses feature small class sizes of 40 people or less, and provide in depth education for policing executives on a variety of specialized topics.

View our instructor roster here

CPCA has partnered with the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University in Southern California to offer you an exceptional career development program. This one-of-a-kind west coast Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) is a premier program designed to enhance your leadership skills. Conducted in a rigorous academic setting, this two-week executive leadership experience brings together an array of relevant subject matter experts to enrich your experience on a personal and professional level. The 14-day course is on the Claremont Graduate University Campus.

The curriculum of this program encompasses a wide range of key topics in a Drucker inspired learning environment where the principles of Peter F. Drucker are imbued with a law enforcement perspective. Some of these topics include: Application of Drucker Principles to your Organization, Managing and Communicating the Police Brand to the Public, Teams in Organizations: Developing a Culture of Collaboration and Leadership, Leadership Decision Making: Introduction to Decision Science and Evidence-Based Decision Making, Creating an Exemplary Policing Organization, Changing Culture in a Police Organization: A New Path for Modern Policing; Leading Through Conflict and Diversity, Women in Leadership: Issues Facing Men and Women, Creating and Maintaining the High Reliability Organization, and Policing and Social Influence, and more. 

This course is a part of our Executive Leadership Certification Program. Learn more here.

PELP invites police executives to reflect and elevate their leadership practices by focusing on the fundamental attributes and core competencies essential to the chief executive role. The session introduces strategic frameworks, executive-level perspectives, and tools and technologies for navigating the evolving demands of leading a police organization.

Through the CPCA COPS Leadership Framework, participants explore the pillars of Curiosity, Onboarding, People, and Storytelling, a practical model that offers strategies for leading with cognitive agility, emotional awareness, and intentional practice. The course examines how wellness, technology, and data-informed strategies can support ethical, effective leadership. The course concludes with participants engaging in a design process to co-create a blueprint for the future for their agencies.

Module 1

Introduction and Executive Leadership Primer
Module 2

Leadership and the Wellness Connection
Module 3

Leading Intelligently with Artificial Intelligence
Module 4

Data-Driven Decision-Making
 
Module 5

COPS Leadership Framework: Curiosity

COPS Leadership Framework: People
Module 6

COPS Leadership Framework: Onboarding

COPS Leadership Framework: Storytelling
Module 7

Designing Our Police Department

This course is a part of our Executive Leadership Certification Program. Learn more here.

CLIP equips police executives to navigate complex legal and operational environments with confidence and strategic foresight. Through expert-led modules and case-based learning, participants gain a deeper understanding of key topics such as discipline, liability, political dynamics, labor relations, and risk mitigation. 

The session underscores the importance of staying informed, legally grounded, and responsive to emerging challenges, opportunities, and stakeholder expectations. Participants also engage in peer-to-peer learning, collaboratively addressing current issues agencies are facing.

Module 8

Strategic and Critical Thinking Skills
Module 9

Risk Management
Module 10

Fostering a Culture of Excellence
Module 11

Executives and the Administration of Discipline
Module 12

Navigating Current Issues in Policing
Module 13

Executive Decision-Making: Case Studies

This course is a part of our Executive Leadership Certification Program. Learn more here.

ESP is the capstone session, emphasizing the legacy responsibilities of police executives as stewards of organizational culture, community trust, and internal accountability. This session engages leaders in fostering ethical agency climates, understanding generational influences on the workforce, sworn and non-sworn dynamics, community engagement, and navigating issues of race and legitimacy in policing.

Through a focus on values-driven leadership, communication, critical thinking, effective followership, and public engagement, participants examine how to remain centered and effective in meeting the demands of agency stewardship during day-to-day operations, and in the extreme conditions of a crisis.

Module 14

Agency Culture: The Leadership Long Game
Module 15

Race and Policing
Module 16

Stewardship through Public Engagement
Module 17

Leadership in Extreme Conditions

This highly interactive, POST Certified course explores the crucial partnership between city managers and police chiefs — a relationship that symbolizes staff alignment and professionalism and sets the tone for city governance. This course offers a unique opportunity for the Chief and City Manager to spend 1:1 time establishing and building a positive professional relationship, and learning more about each other's roles.

Participants will delve into essential topics such as the roles, needs, and expectations of both positions, navigating politics and interactions with elected officials, effective communication in both routine and crisis situations, building trust, and fostering community relations and engagement. Additionally, the course will address current and emerging issues and highlight the traits of the most effective managers and chiefs, ensuring that the manager-chief team operates at its best. 

Supporting a Police Chief effectively requires a deep understanding of expectations and adept management of responsibilities. In this three-day course, executive assistants and other professional support staff learn essential skills to excel in their role and handle challenges. From practical tips on working closely with the Chief, to conflict resolution and managing records, participants have the opportunity to gain a variety of insights on various aspects of their role.

A highlight of the course is its focus on technology, offering practical tips for using tools like Outlook, Excel, and more. By mastering these tools, executive assistants can streamline their work and better support their Chiefs in the modern digital landscape.

The program emphasizes leveraging personal strengths for better performance and handling tough situations, through interactive sessions and group discussions. Additionally, the course covers time management, organization, and transitioning to support a new Chief smoothly, ensuring departmental efficiency.

Employee discipline is a cornerstone of accountability and is essential for building high-performing, ethical, and legally sound public safety organizations. However, there is no universally accepted approach to managing discipline effectively.

This course equips police executives with the knowledge and tools to approach employee discipline thoughtfully and strategically. Participants will explore key concepts such as ethics, organizational justice, progressive discipline, and stakeholder considerations. Through discussions on the benefits and challenges of discipline matrices and decision-making guides, executives will gain practical insights into crafting and implementing fair, defensible disciplinary processes.

The program includes interactive discussions and hands-on group scenarios to reinforce learning. By the end of the course, participants will have enhanced their ability to articulate and defend disciplinary decisions while fostering accountability and achieving organizational goals.

Key Topics Include:

  • The executive's role in employee discipline and its organizational impact
  • Ethical principles and theories supporting effective discipline
  • Stakeholder perspectives and organizational justice
  • Decision-making tools: discipline matrices and guides
  • Practical strategies for handling disciplinary logistics

Format: In-depth discussions, real-world case studies, and applied group exercises

Who Should Attend: Police executives and leaders seeking to strengthen their skills in managing discipline with fairness, consistency, and strategic insight.

One-Day Summits

Our One-Day Summits are responsive to YOUR needs, meaning that we rotate topics in and out in order to focus on ones that are currently most relevant to our members. Below you'll find descriptions of some of the summits we have held in the past. Please reference the event calendar to view the summits happening this year.

This summit aims to encourage, educate and inspire organizations to embrace a culture of wellness. This is an event focused on addressing the physical, mental and emotional well-being of policing professionals. This summit aims to provide support, resources, and education to help personnel cope with the challenges and stresses associated with this demanding profession. Attendees will benefit from learning about contemporary strategies and emerging trends addressing organizational wellness, and department leaders will learn about proactive and practical approaches to creating a culture of wellness within their organizations as a trauma-informed leader.

This event brings together policing professionals to discuss and address issues related to traffic safety and law enforcement. Focus will be on strategies and best practices aimed at improving overall road safety. Attendees will hear from agencies who are considered experts in the field of traffic safety to provide insights and information addressing the complex challenges association with traffic safety, with the ultimate goal of promoting safer roadways for all.

The health and wellness of law enforcement personnel is a top priority for Chiefs of Police and command staff. A key aspect of this issue is the effectiveness of the treatment provided following a line of duty injury. This program is designed to help chiefs, senior command staff, and human resources professionals achieve better recovery outcomes from the Workers’ Compensation system for their injured personnel. The course will provide an organizational approach that senior leaders can use to drive the treatment process. It will cover how treatment decisions are made, including delays, denials, and approvals, and explain the legal foundations that allow leaders to exert their authority and influence. Additionally, the program will address the true economic cost of injuries, offer protocols to ensure accountability, and discuss strategies for overcoming barriers to change.