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A podcast for Tennesseans by Tennesseans. We talk with leaders—business owners, policy experts, educators, and more—who champion the entrepreneurial spirit and transform once-small ideas into big impact.
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Episode 81: Chief John Drake on Keeping Nashville Safe
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Chief John Drake, Metro Nashville’s Chief of Police, joins us for a wide ranging conversation on leadership, trust, and what it actually means to serve a city that has changed dramatically over the last few decades. With nearly four decades in law enforcement and deep roots in Nashville, Drake shares how his early experiences shaped his view of policing, why community engagement is not a side project but a core pillar of public safety, and how MNPD thinks about precision policing, transparency, and crime prevention at the neighborhood level. We also talk candidly about moments that have tested the city and its first responders, the mental health toll of crisis leadership, and why the best policing today looks less like force and more like patience, presence, and accountability.