A police chief taught me a valuable lesson.

It started with a keyboard shortcut.

His agency is around 30 officers. He was an early customer of one of our software systems—back when it was new and rough around the edges. It wasn't easy. He let us know that—often, and not always gently. He'd probably tell you himself he wasn't the easiest customer.

He'd also tell you he was right.

At one point we offered to turn on a new AI capability for him because things weren't going so well. His answer back to me: He didn't need AI. He needed the basics to work. He needed to print a complete, courtroom-ready case file. To us, printing felt like yesterday's problem—we were focused on the next feature, the next capability.

He didn't care about any of that.

He cared about getting a case to a prosecutor. He cared about helping an officer finish a report. He cared about the work his agency had to do that day.

Printing was never the issue. It was the most visible example of something every agency depends on—all the ordinary, unglamorous workflows that never make the flashy marketing materials or webinars but decide whether people can actually do their jobs.

Ctrl+P became our shorthand for all of it.

The lesson wasn't to agree with every piece of feedback. It was to listen for the truth underneath it, then show up. The same chief who once wanted his money back is now one of our strongest advocates.

A few things I'd offer to anyone building technology police depend on:

The future you're building always matters less than the day your customer is actually having. Build for what's next for sure but never lose today in the process. And that unglamorous workflow they keep raising isn't a distraction from the roadmap. Sometimes it's the roadmap.

And to the police leaders: Be that customer. Push your technology providers. Tell them when the basics don't work, and don't let a shiny new feature paper over a broken one. The right partner won't be put off by the candor. They'll be better for it. So will you.

Customer obsession isn't about the size of the agency, the size of the contract, how easy the customer is to work with or the latest, greatest piece of software or hardware. It's a decision about who you are.

Sometimes that looks like AI.

Sometimes it looks like Ctrl+P.