Chief Eric Plummer, PhD

🚨 Exciting News! 🎧 I’m thrilled to announce that Crisis at the Top is now available on Audible! Listening on Audible makes it even easier to dive into these powerful stories and insights, perfect for your commute, workout, or downtime. audible.com/pd/Crisis-at-t…

This book is a "must read" for leaders! It speaks directly to the realities leaders face every day in hiring, training, and managing people in high-stakes environments... Available from Amazon amazon.com/Crisis-Through… #book #leadership #publicsafety #lawenforcement

Most public safety crises don’t begin with a headline. They begin with a decision… a hire… or a warning sign that someone chose to ignore. I’m excited to share that my new book, Crisis Through the Door, is now available on Amazon in hardcover and paperback. This book builds on the conversation started in Crisis at the Top, but shifts the focus to a different reality: Many organizational crises enter quietly through hiring, training, probation, and early leadership decisions. Crisis Through the Door explores how character issues can slowly erode culture, trust, and accountability inside organizations—and what leaders can do to recognize the warning signs before they become tomorrow’s headlines. 📘 Hardcover and paperback available now: amazon.com/dp/B0GSK748W6/… The ebook and Audible versions will be released soon. Thank you to everyone who has supported the journey behind both books. My hope is that these lessons help leaders strengthen culture, build trust, and prevent the next crisis before it walks through the door. #Leadership #PublicSafety #LawEnforcement #EthicalLeadership #OrganizationalCulture #LeadershipDevelopment

Honored and grateful. This evening, I had the privilege of attending the International Impact Book Awards Gala to accept an award for Crisis at the Top. This book was written with one purpose in mind: to confront the hard truth that leadership failures in public safety rarely begin in a crisis; they begin long before the crisis ever arrives. They begin with small ethical compromises, unchecked ego, lack of transparency, and cultures that reward position over principle. Crisis at the Top explores those failures through real-world case studies and introduces the Leadership HAT Continuum — Humility, Authenticity, and Transparency — as a framework for leaders who want to build resilient, ethical organizations. As someone who has spent a career in public safety, this recognition is deeply meaningful. It affirms that conversations about ethics, character, and courageous leadership matter. Thank you to the International Impact Book Awards for the honor, and to the many mentors, colleagues, and students who continue to shape my thinking. Leadership is influence and influence carries responsibility. #CrisisAtTheTop #Leadership #EthicalLeadership #PublicSafety #TransformationalLeadership #ImpactAwards

I’m excited to share that my next book, Crisis Through the Door, is nearing release after a two-year process. After publishing Crisis at the Top, which focused on ethical and leadership failures at the highest levels of public safety organizations, I kept coming back to another hard truth: Many crises don’t start at the top. They start at the front door. Crisis Through the Door examines how character issues can enter an agency through hiring, training, probation, and early supervision, and how small warning signs can grow into major incidents that impact morale, public trust, and organizational legitimacy. This book is built on real leadership lessons, case-study parallels, and practical frameworks to help agencies strengthen culture before the next crisis arrives. It also expands the conversation around the Leadership HAT Continuum (Humility, Authenticity, Transparency), because sustained trust requires more than policy…it requires character. If you’re a chief, supervisor, FTO, HR professional, or anyone invested in building ethical, resilient public safety organizations, I wrote this for you. More details coming soon. Until then, I’ll leave you with this: You’re not just filling positions; you’re shaping a culture. #PublicSafety #Leadership #Ethics #LawEnforcement #OrganizationalCulture #Accountability #CrisisManagement #Character

🏆 Exciting News! Crisis at the Top has been honored with an International Impact Book Award. I’m incredibly proud to share that Crisis at the Top has received this recognition for its contribution to leadership, ethics, and public safety. This award is especially meaningful because the book was written with one purpose in mind: to help leaders recognize the early warning signs of ethical drift and prevent the kinds of failures that damage trust, careers, and communities. The stories, case studies, and the Leadership HAT Continuum (Humility, Authenticity, and Transparency) continue to resonate with leaders across public safety, higher education, government, and beyond. I’m grateful to everyone who has read the book, shared it with their teams, used it in training, or reached out about how it’s influenced their leadership journey. Thank you to the International Impact Awards committee for this honor, and thank you to the many colleagues and mentors who helped shape the ideas behind this work. The mission remains the same: build ethical, grounded, resilient leaders before a crisis occurs at the top. 📘 Crisis at the Top is available in print, Kindle, and Audible. 🔗 lnkd.in/eBxTWf9C #CrisisAtTheTop #InternationalImpactBookAwards #Leadership #EthicalLeadership #PublicSafety #TransformationalLeadership #HATContinuum #BookAwards

Catching up with Gordon Graham at IACP 2025 It was great catching up with Gordon Graham at the IACP 2025 Conference in Denver. Gordon has been a steadfast advocate for the profession of public safety, emphasizing the critical importance of ethical leadership, risk management, and continuous learning. I was honored to have Gordon write the foreword to Crisis at the Top. His lifelong commitment to improving our profession continues to inspire leaders at every level to build safer, more resilient organizations. #IACP2025 #Leadership #PublicSafety #CrisisAtTheTop #RiskManagement #EthicalLeadership

Leadership isn’t tested when things are calm; it’s tested when the storm hits. In Crisis at the Top, I explore how public safety leaders can either strengthen or shatter their organizations when faced with ethical, operational, and political pressure. The book takes readers through real-world case studies of leadership failure and success, revealing how humility, authenticity, and transparency—the Leadership H.A.T. Continuum—can guide leaders to act with integrity, even when it’s hardest to do so. For anyone serving in public safety, government, or higher education leadership, this book is a reminder that ethical leadership isn’t just a value, it’s a survival skill. Available now on Amazon, Audible, and Kindle. Let’s keep the conversation going—how do you define ethical leadership in moments of crisis? #Leadership #PublicSafety #Ethics #CrisisLeadership #Authenticity #Transparency #Humility #CrisisAtTheTop

Check out my latest article: The Indictment, the Fallout, and the Crisis at the Top linkedin.com/pulse/indictme… via @LinkedIn

🚨 Leadership isn’t just about wearing the title—it’s about earning trust when it matters most. In Crisis at the Top, I explore how ethical lapses, poor decision-making, and the absence of humility, authenticity, and transparency can push public safety organizations into turmoil. This book is written for those who lead—or aspire to lead—in public safety, public service, or any profession. Whether you are a chief, director, supervisor, or an emerging leader, the lessons inside will help you: ✔️ Recognize early warning signs of leadership failure ✔️ Build resilient teams grounded in ethics and accountability ✔️ Strengthen your leadership with humility, authenticity, and transparency Public service leadership comes with immense responsibility. The stakes are high, and the consequences of failure are greater than ever. 📘 Crisis at the Top is more than a book—it’s a call to action for leaders who want to build stronger, more ethical organizations that can stand the test of crisis. 👉 Available now on a.co/d/8cQ8acW Let’s keep moving the profession forward—together. #Leadership #PublicSafety #EthicalLeadership #CrisisManagement #ProfessionalDevelopment

Sometimes doing the right thing means standing alone. One of the hardest lessons in leadership, and one of the central themes in Crisis at the Top, is that integrity often comes with a cost. When others stay silent, protect their own interests, or look the other way, it takes real courage to speak up, act ethically, and hold the line. True leadership isn't about popularity or position; it's about character. And sometimes, choosing character over comfort means sacrificing professional opportunities, relationships, or status. But in the end, standing for what’s right matters more than fitting in. Crisis at the Top explores what happens when leaders lose sight of their values, and what it takes to lead with humility, authenticity, and transparency, even in the face of adversity. If you're a leader, or striving to be one, ask yourself: Would you have the courage to stand your ground when others won’t? #Leadership #CrisisAtTheTop #IntegrityMatters #PublicSafetyLeadership #CharacterCounts #EthicalLeadership

Honored to present Crisis at the Top at the 100th Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Conference this week. It was a privilege to stand alongside my peers here in Virginia and engage in a meaningful discussion about leadership, ethics, and accountability in public safety. These conversations are essential if we are to prevent the next crisis at the top and build organizations rooted in humility, authenticity, and transparency. The exchange of ideas and perspectives in that room reminded me of why I believe so strongly in this work, because when leaders lead with character, the entire profession is strengthened, and our communities benefit. Thank you to VACP and all those who participated in the discussion. Let’s continue moving the conversation forward. #CrisisAtTheTop #Leadership #EthicalLeadership #PublicSafety #VACP100

Had a great time in Rockville, Maryland, presenting Crisis at the Top to a dedicated group of law enforcement and public safety leaders. Grateful for the opportunity to share lessons on leadership and accountability, and to spend time with professionals who truly care about doing the right thing. I hope they find value in the book and take to heart the importance of humility, authenticity, and transparency, powerful tools that help shield us from the pitfalls of insecurity and overconfidence as we serve and protect our communities. Thank you all for the meaningful conversation and commitment to ethical leadership! #CrisisAtTheTop #PublicSafetyLeadership #EthicalLeadership #HATContinuum #LawEnforcement #RockvilleMD

A Refreshing Take on Leadership! When leadership fails, entire systems unravel. Crisis at the Top exposes the ethical lapses and character failures that too often go unchecked in public safety leadership... READ MORE HERE👇 amazon.com/Crisis-Top-Aut… #leadership

🚨 Now Available 🚨 📘 Crisis at the Top: The Need for Authentic Transformational Leadership in Public Safety 👉 Now available in paperback and hardcover here: amazon.com/stores/Eric-Sc… Thank you to everyone who helped shape this journey. #CrisisAtTheTop #Leadership

Coming Soon - June 2025 When leadership fails, the mission suffers. Crisis at the Top is a call to rebuild public safety leadership with humility, authenticity, and transparency.

Collaborative efforts to ensure public safety are what is needed to maintain trust. UVA, Charlottesville, Albemarle Collaborate To Address Gun Violence Trends shar.es/afKSyY