Cedar Hill’s Ely Reyes on How Operational Readiness Enables Effective Leadership

The Story This Time

In the transition from Assistant Chief to Chief, Ely Reyes learned that while you do gain authority, you also lose the safety net of upward accountability. As Director of Public Safety & Chief of Police at Cedar Hill, Ely has also learned to center on treating small problems with the same attention as major crises, recognizing that what matters in the daily work of frontline officers must also matter to their leaders. This approach builds a culture where no task is too small, finger-pointing disappears, and the team’s standard —The Cedar Hill Way— is upheld.  He tells Ben his systematic succession planning involves sending leadership teams to three-week executive programs in Boston, ensuring every level understands both operational and administrative complexities before promotion. He also reveals his counterintuitive financial counseling approach with new officers, discussing 401k planning and deferred compensation before their first paycheck to prevent the career burnout that happens when officers are mentally ready to retire but are financially unprepared.

Stories We’re Telling Today

• The psychological transition from Assistant Chief to Chief and learning to own every decision without blame deflection
• Building organizational trust through consistent attention to small problems that matter to individual team members
• Creating “The Cedar Hill Way” culture that eliminates the “not my job” mentality through leadership modeling and clear expectations
• Systematic succession planning methodology using 3-week executive leadership programs to prepare lieutenants and assistant chiefs for administrative complexities
• Financial counseling strategies for new officers that address 401k planning and deferred compensation to prevent career burnout
• Maintaining operational credibility as an executive by working patrol shifts, covering holidays, and demonstrating frontline competency
• AI integration approaches in security operations that focus on legal boundaries and community trust rather than technological resistance
• Hiring and screening methodologies using psychological testing, polygraph examinations, and core values assessment to maintain low vacancy rates
• How crisis psychology from a military intelligence background helps separate facts from assumptions during high-pressure decision-making
• Community engagement strategies that create positive interactions before emergency responses to build trust and cooperation

Too busy; didn’t listen:

• Ely Reyes built organizational trust in Cedar Hill by treating small problems with the same attention as major crises, creating a “Cedar Hill Way” culture.
• His succession planning involves sending all leadership team members to executive programs in Boston, ensuring preparation for both operational and administrative responsibilities before promotion.
• He provides financial advice to every new officer about 401k planning and deferred compensation, recognizing that officers become mentally ready to retire but are rarely financially prepared.
• The hardest leadership transition is from Assistant Chief to Chief because you lose the safety net of upward accountability and must own every decision without someone above you to blame.
• AI integration in security requires focusing on legal boundaries and community trust rather than resisting technological change.

Skip to the Highlight of the Episode

19:39 - 19:48 “And so I think success for the team is that they have the confidence to do their jobs, but they know that if they need something that we’re here for them.”