5 Keys to Hiring for Drive and Building in the Gray: How Two RTIC Leaders Are Shaping Real-Time Policing

‍Key Takeaways

• Hire the person, not the resume. Early RTIC hires should optimize for drive, assertiveness, adaptability, and team fit—the technicals can be trained.
  
• Balance assertiveness with context. Pairing directness with “the why” preserves trust and momentum.
  
• Live in the gray (on purpose). RTICs thrive with principled flexibility—light guardrails, clear intent, and continuous debriefs beat rigid playbooks.
  
• Measure what your city values. Tie metrics to the outcomes your chief and electeds want to talk about; a single cookie-cutter KPI won’t fit every RTIC.
  
• Mentorship multiplies courage. Supportive leaders unlock career leaps—and keep teams steady when the work feels like “building the plane while flying.”

How Do You Navigate the Unknown?

When Real-Time Information Centers (RTICs) are new, there’s no single pipeline for talent—and that’s a strength. Elk Grove PD RTIC Manager Andrea Cortez moved from records to RTIC leadership. Vacaville PD RTIC Manager Nikki Bell brought 23 years of dispatch experience to stand up a RTIC while launching DFR. Different paths, same outcome: capable operators who obsess over outcomes, not org charts.

“It’s more about the person and less about the path that brought you to the RTIC.” Nikki Bell, Vacaville PD RTIC Manager

Both leaders argue for hiring on personality and potential: drive, “stick-to-itiveness,” and the confidence to say no to noise and yes to mission. Radio traffic, tooling, and workflows can be taught; initiative can’t.

The Assertiveness Equation

RTIC work needs people who are direct and decisive, yet relationship-smart. Andrea and Nikki describe the line between confident and abrasive, and how explaining the why—and inviting feedback—keeps partnerships healthy across patrol, investigators, command, and city leadership.

“Confidently humble” is the goal: enough backbone to commit, enough openness to adjust.

“In RTICs you’ll always have competing tasks. You have to figure out which is the priority, pivot fast, and leave your ego at the door.” — Nikki Bell, Vacaville PD RTIC Manager

Leading in the Gray

Real-time teams won’t have a binder for everything. Early on, Elk Grove PD ran on intent, debriefs, and iteration; Vacaville PD is codifying just enough SOPs and policy to ensure consistency without handcuffing judgment. The principle: write light, review often, and preserve operator autonomy.

“We operate in the gray on purpose—principled flexibility beats rigid playbooks.” Andrea Cortez, Elk Grove PD RTIC Manager

From Stories to Stats

What should RTICs measure? It depends.

“The value of a real-time center is determined by the people who fund it.” Jamie Hudson

• Activity capture: Elk Grove attaches labels in CAD/RMS whenever RTIC assists—enabling analysis by time, day, call type.
  
• Requests & research: Ticketing via SharePoint helps quantify video pulls, FR research, and analyst work.
  
• Outcome framing: Executive summaries pair high-level stats with short case narratives—the anecdotes that stick with chiefs, councils, and communities.‍
• Time-to-impact: Beyond “cases solved,” consider how RTICs accelerate investigations or shrink response windows—if that’s what your city values.

Mentors, Right-Hands, and Trust

Both guests credit mentors who saw potential before they did, and emphasize the power of a dependable “right-hand”—someone who can step into meetings, represent the unit, and move projects without oversight.

“Our internal stakeholders are our customers. Relationships are as important as results.” — Andrea Cortez,  Elk Grove PD RTIC Manager

Building While Flying (Literally)

Vacaville PD launched DFR the day of this recording; proof that RTIC leaders often juggle construction and operations at once. Divide-and-conquer, empower your staff, and document just enough so the room always knows who’s doing what.

Practical Playbook for New Real Time Centers

1) Hire for traits, teach the rest

• Traits: driven, adaptable, assertive, team-minded, egoless under pressure.
• Backgrounds can vary (sworn, records, dispatch, CSOs). Diverse skill stacks win.
  

2) Start with intent, then write light SOPs

• Establish mission, boundaries, and debrief cadence.
• Document patterns (e.g., on-air “RTIC working” callouts), intake routes, and escalation—keep room for judgment.

3) Instrument your work

• Use CAD/RMS labels for every assist.
• Stand up a ticketing queue for research requests.
• Publish monthly exec summaries mixing metrics + quick win stories.

4) Align metrics to your chief & council

• Pick 2–3 outcomes they value (e.g., faster clearance, officer safety, response, community transparency).
• Track trendlines, not just tallies.

5) Protect the culture

• Normalize rapid after-action reviews.
• Coach “confidently humble” communication.
• Celebrate small wins (and the learnings from misses).

Listen & Share

This episode is packed with real-world lessons for chiefs, RTIC managers, analysts, and comms leaders building modern real-time programs. Share it with a colleague who’s standing up a center or rethinking how to show impact. Watch the full episode now.