Attention has been more acutely focused on the concept of leadership in recent years as a result of incidents within the business, government, and religious sectors. Leadership is an important concept within law enforcement, especially as many agencies try to change the traditional, militaristic model of rank and command found within many police departments. Some police agencies, however, are stagnant in their approach to leadership and could use a fresh perspective on the delivery of police services, the treatment of police personnel, and on their interactions with the public. The remainder of the article focuses on the executive core qualifications (ECQ) of leadership developed by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to define the characteristics needed to build leadership strength. The ECQ’s include leading change, leading people, driving results, business acumen, and building coalitions and communicating. These five core qualifications of effective leadership are discussed in turn. The common theme running through all five qualifications is the ability to promote and accommodate change in police organizations through effective leadership. With heightened public awareness focused on public service agencies, police administrators must focus on and use effective leadership to achieve public trust and competency. References