Gold Medal Policing Operational Readiness and Performance Excellence

Chapter 1. Redefining Readiness: A Blueprint for Peak Performance in Policing

Chapter 2. Insights From Current Research on Police Performance

Chapter 3. Police Under Pressure

Chapter 4. The Readiness Equation

Chapter 5. Physical Readiness in Policing

Chapter 6. Technical Readiness in Policing

Chapter 7.  Mental Readiness in Policing

Chapter 8.  Police Leadership at All Levels

Chapter 9.  Knowledge Transfer: Conclusions

Chapter 10.  What Next? Recommendations and Leadership Directives  

Chapter 11. Executive Summary

Appendices

Biography

Judy McDonald is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and former Associate Director at the McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment. She earned her PhD from University of Westminster, UK, specializing in operational readiness for high-risk professions. Her applied research over the past three decades has focused on understanding readiness strategies in diverse population groups working in high-risk and demanding professions where excellence carries serious life-or-death consequences. Study populations have ranged from Olympic athletes to surgeons and air traffic controllers. Her initial study with Ottawa Hospital surgeons revealed parallels between surgical and Olympic athlete mental-readiness practices, acclaimed as a landmark in the medical community. Subsequent research illustrated the need for systematic mental training in the high-stress world of air traffic control, leading to mandatory trainee courses and an "Advanced Situational Awareness Program" for seasoned controllers, flight service specialists, and trainers in Navigation (NAV) Canada. This pioneering perspective underpins her work in operational risk assessment, now successfully applied in policing, as well as other high-performance occupations such as dentistry, financial auditing, and Sherpa high-altitude guiding. McDonald extends her expertise globally, supervising, lecturing, and conducting workshops. Her efforts advance operational readiness for high-risk professions, safeguarding lives.

The academic underpinnings allow evidence-based improvements in police response, individual performance, and training for new officers. Integrating technical and physical readiness broadens the scope to examine excellence, often overlooked by sports psychology books that concentrate mainly on mental techniques.
—Michael G. Tyshenko, PhD, Senior Analyst, Risk Sciences International

The author’s personal credibility, the imagery from frontline quotes, and lived experience of identified high-performing officers enhances the practical scenarios—such as compliance versus hypervigilance; hurry-up and wait; court time overlooked.
—Andy Rhodes, Retired Chief, United Kingdom, OBE, QPM Service

The mental readiness section is absolutely crucial in helping officers learn and become proficient at policing. Recommendations to improve performance are very thorough to benefit academy staff or field training officers in law enforcement.
—Morgan J. Steele, Assistant Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Leadership, and Sociology, Fort Hays State University, United States

The book is organized with a logical, appropriate structure. Finding out all the changes that have taken place in policing, police training and society in the last 20 years was valuable.
—Police Training Instructor, anonymous peer reviewer

This is a unique resource. I cannot think of any book that competes. The closest competition would be various articles about leadership and performance motivation.
—Sergeant and Chief Instructor, anonymous peer reviewer

Even with my military tactical experience, I said to myself reading the book, ‘That’s a good idea. I could use that.’ It feels authoritative and credible. The strategies would actually benefit other frontliners in the broader LE community like CBP, Homeland Security, ATF, DEA, Secret Service, as well as applying to EMT, SpecOps, firefighters, SAR, etc.
—Cemil Alyanak, Special Operations Recon Unit Commander

We can personally relate to this. It’s not just another f---ing manual...You know what? There’ll be an immediate buy-in.
—Constable >10 years on, anonymous frontline feedback

I’d make it a mandatory read at all levels. If you do that, you’d actually have leadership by example. Leading and teaching young officers is the ideal for our profession.
—Constable <5 years on, anonymous frontline feedback