Lawyer, Leader, & Public Safety Executive; SVP of Forensic Services at SoundThinking, Inc.; ATF Associate Deputy Director (Ret.)
True story. Two years ago today, I was so excited about my first day at SoundThinking (formerly ShotSpotter)…that I forgot it was my anniversary! Miracles do happen, and somehow I survived that catastrophic oversight. (That’s not a mistake I’ll make again. Now both anniversaries are conveniently on the same day.) I’ve had two great years at the company. It has been an incredible ‘Chapter 2.’ When I retired from ATF, I’d been a federal employee since I was 19 years old. (I’m quite a bit older than that now!) I loved being a federal agent. From my time in the street, and up through the ranks, I did a lot of cool stuff with tons of awesome people. Along the way, I oversaw thousands of investigations. I managed countless critical incidents. I dealt with every manner of personnel issue. And I learned to navigate politics and bureaucracy. Despite being pretty seasoned by that point, though, stepping into a private-sector, corporate executive position made me feel like an FNG. The culture is different. The acronyms are different. The politics are different. But I have learned a lot in two years. Now undercover operations, tactical training, and firearms qualifications have been replaced with things like corporate governance, trade secrets, and board meetings. Turns out, being a public safety tech exec is a pretty good gig, too. But some things aren’t so different. At SoundThinking, I still read a lot of legal materials and engage with other lawyers. I still interact with law enforcement leaders and the media. I still spend a lot of time talking (both publicly and privately) about using technology to address gun crime. And, best of all, I still do a lot of cool stuff with tons of awesome people!
It’s been a great two years Tom! You’ve adapted to the private sector and fit in so well. We’re honored to have you on the Executive Team and glad to have you as a colleague. Cheers to you!
Tom, it’s been a pleasure and an honor to be working with you, my friend.
We especially appreciate your pragmatic counsel and perspectives on public safety focused operational, legal and training matters. Keep participating and growing with us.
Cool people do cool stuff Tom. Keep enjoying “Chapter 2,” my friend.
Congratulations 🎊 on your 2 year anniversary. We are lucky to have you as our leader on the forensics team.
Happy Anniversary. I agree chapter 2 of Life is Great..
Happy Anniversary Tom... Time flies for sure. I think as I get older, it goes by faster lol. Be safe my friend. Henry
Congratulations on your anniversary! It has been a pleasure working with you and look forward to our continued partnership.
Happy anniversaries, Thomas Chittum! And thank you for those years of service with a badge, and now for continuing to serve post-retirement to help make our communities safer.
Deputy Chief of Police (Retired), Certified Sport Security Professional
3moCompletely agree with all of this. SoundThinking is a great company with a great culture. Learning private sector business as a former public sector executive is hard, but fascinating and motivating at the same time. The language is different, but the pathways to success remain the same. Integrity matters. Hard work matters. Treating people well matters. I don’t have an MBA or really any business experience at all, but working with great people and working for a company with great culture, I feel like I can fit in and be helpful and productive.