Why Police Agencies Should Take Roll Call Seriously

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Why Police Agencies Should Take Roll Call Seriously

By: Chief Scott Hughes

Let’s talk about roll call.

Not the version where everyone is sitting at a table or leaning against the wall half-asleep, scrolling their phones like they’re waiting for a flight, while someone reads an email out loud.

I mean the version that actually matters.

When roll call is done right, it’s one of the most important 10–15 minutes of the entire shift.

And when it’s done wrong?
It becomes a daily routine that teaches officers one thing:

Nothing you’re about to hear matters.

That’s a problem.

Roll Call Is One of the Only Times We’re All Aligned

Policing is unpredictable. The street doesn’t care what kind of day you’re having.

But roll call is one of the few moments when a supervisor can get everyone on the same page before the chaos begins.

If we’re being honest, it’s not just a briefing.

It’s a tone-setter.

It’s a culture-setter.

It’s a leadership moment.

And we waste it far too often.

What Roll Call Is Supposed To Do

I read something on LinkedIn that was spot on:

"Good roll calls matter. Bad roll calls train officers to stop listening."

And once that happens, you don’t get that attention back when it counts.

A good roll call does a few things that actually matter:

1. Operational clarity

Hot calls, BOLOs, wanted subjects, problem addresses, crime trends, and policy changes that impact today.

This is where mistakes are prevented.

2. Risk management

Officer safety reminders, tactics refreshers, and “this almost went sideways last shift” lessons.
If you’re not using roll call to reduce risk, you’re missing the point.

And sometimes risk management isn’t even a “training topic.” It’s making sure your people are ready before they ever hit the street:

Quick weapons checks and function checks
Verifying officers have the gear they’re supposed to have (tourniquet, radio, extra mags, flashlight, etc.)
Ensuring optics, lights, body cams, and less-lethal tools are actually working
Confirming everyone is equipped for the shift they’re walking into

It’s not nitpicking. It’s leadership.

Because the time to discover you’re missing equipment isn’t in the middle of a fight.

3. Accountability

Assignments, expectations, priorities.
Not vague. Not implied. Clear.

4. Leadership presence

Good supervisors read the room.

You can see stress, fatigue, frustration, and morale issues. Officers who are “off” today.

That matters more than most people realize.

5. Culture building

This is where standards are reinforced.

Professionalism. Pride. Ownership. How we treat the public. How we treat each other.

Culture doesn’t live in a policy manual. It lives in what you tolerate every day.

Why Roll Calls Fail

Roll call becomes useless when it turns into:

Policy readings that could’ve been an email
Rambling stories with no lesson
Public discipline sessions
Recycled information officers already know
Supervisors talking at people instead of communicating with them

That’s when officers start checking out.

And once they check out, you don’t get them back just because you suddenly have something important to say.

Here’s the Part I Want Agencies To Hear

Roll call should include training.

Every time.

Not a 45-minute lecture. Not death by PowerPoint.

But something.

Because policing is a perishable skill, and if you’re not constantly sharpening your people, you’re letting them drift.

Daily training at roll call isn’t about turning supervisors into instructors.

It’s about reinforcing fundamentals, over and over, until they’re automatic.

Fundamentals show up when officers are tired, stressed, rushed, and making decisions in seconds.

And that’s the payoff: small, consistent reps that build better habits, better decision-making, and safer outcomes over the long run.

Small reps build big outcomes.

We need to use roll call to improve officers.

That can include:

a short video review
a quick “what would you do?” scenario
a tactics refresher
a report-writing tip
a legal update in plain English
a “we almost got burned last shift, here’s why” discussion

This isn’t about embarrassing anyone.

It’s about improving everyone.

The goal isn’t to judge officers after something goes wrong…

It’s to train them before it does.

If You Don’t Know What To Cover, Use This

If you’re a supervisor unsure of what roll call should look like, keep it simple.

A good roll call should cover three things:

What we’re facing today
What could hurt us today
One skill or lesson that makes us better today

That’s it.

That’s the formula.

Do that consistently, and roll call becomes something your people actually value.

Make Everyone a Teacher

Here’s a simple idea that works:

Every officer is responsible for teaching something at roll call on a rotating basis.

Weekly. Monthly. Whatever works for your agency.

Give them a topic.
Or let them bring one.

Maybe an officer finds a viral video and walks the squad through:

What happened
What went right
What went wrong
What the “what ifs” are
What we’d do differently

Maybe your traffic guys cover:

DUI trends
Stop tactics
New laws
Crash patterns in your community

You want buy-in? Give officers ownership.

And here’s the bonus: it builds confidence and leadership.

If you can stand up and teach your peers, you can lead under pressure.

Train to the Shift You’re Actually Working

Another easy win:

Match the training to the shift.

Day and night shifts aren’t doing the same job.

Day shift has schools and businesses open, more public interaction, and a higher potential for high-profile incidents.

So maybe day shift roll call training leans into:

Active threat response (school/business)
Movement to the threat
Contact/cover basics
Perimeter discipline

Night shift? Different world.

More DUIs. More alarm drops. More suspicious vehicles. Less lighting. More unknowns.

So night shift training might focus more on:

DUI stop tactics and positioning
Approach angles
Recognizing pre-attack indicators
Alarm response tactics
Clearing buildings safely

When the training matches what officers are actually dealing with, they don’t see it as “extra.”

They see it as helpful.

And that’s how you get attention.

Roll Call Can Be Fun, But It Can’t Be Pointless.

I’m not saying roll call has to be miserable.

We need humor. We need a connection. We need to laugh.

But there’s a difference between camaraderie and turning roll call into a daily complaint session about things that don’t matter.

That’s not bonding.

That’s draining.

And it trains officers to start the shift in the wrong mindset.

What’s the Mission of a Supervisor?

At the end of the day, the most essential thing that should matter to supervisors is this:

Your men and women go home at the end of their shift.

That’s it.

Not the stats.
Not the numbers.
Not the ego.
Not whether roll call was “fun.”

They go home.

So here’s the question every sergeant should ask themselves:

Are we doing everything in our power to make sure that happens?

If we’re not taking care of our people… who is?

That’s the job.

And that’s why roll call matters. It’s not just information. It’s not just routine. It’s one of the few times you can slow the world down for 10 minutes and make your people sharper, safer, and better prepared before they step into uncertainty.

So ask yourself:

What is your mission as a supervisor?

Why do you hold that role?

If the answer isn’t something like “to lead, protect, develop, and prepare my people,” then what are we doing?

Bottom Line

Roll call doesn’t need to disappear.

Bad roll calls do.

A good roll call should be: short (10–15 minutes), relevant, focused on safety and clarity, and led with purpose.

Roll call is one of the few moments each day to align the team, sharpen performance, reinforce standards, and reduce risk before the shift begins.

That’s not “just a meeting.”

That’s leadership.

So be honest:

If you sat through your own roll call, would you be better and safer when you walked out the door?