Why I Always Fly to Meet Chiefs

In a world of Zoom calls and email threads, I still book flights. Here's why in-person connections remain at the core of how we build Code Four.

The Handshake That Started It All

I remember the first time I shook hands with a police chief who was considering our product. We had spent weeks on video calls, exchanged countless emails, and shared dozens of documents. But within five minutes of sitting across from him in his office, I learned more about his department's challenges than I had in all our previous conversations combined.

He walked me through the station. He introduced me to officers who would actually use our software. He showed me the cramped room where they stored evidence, the aging computers they worked on, and the break room where exhausted officers grabbed coffee between shifts. None of that would have come through on a Zoom call.

That handshake—that face-to-face moment—changed everything about how I approach building this company.

Why In-Person Matters

There's something irreplaceable about being physically present with someone. You pick up on things that don't translate through a screen: the hesitation before an answer, the glance exchanged between colleagues, the environment they work in every day.

When I fly to meet a potential customer, I'm not just pitching our product. I'm learning. I'm understanding. I'm building the kind of trust that only comes from showing up in person and saying, "Your problems matter enough that I got on a plane."

Law enforcement professionals are skeptical of tech companies, and rightfully so. They've been promised solutions before that never materialized or didn't understand their reality. When I show up at their door, I'm making a statement: we're different. We're here. We're committed.

The Red-Eye Flights and Early Mornings

I've lost count of how many red-eye flights I've taken this year. I've learned which airports have the best coffee, which rental car companies are fastest, and which hotels are closest to police departments in cities I'd never heard of before starting Code Four.

It's exhausting. Some weeks I'm in three different cities. I miss events at home. I eat too many airport sandwiches.

But every single trip has been worth it.

In Pocatello, we literally rolled out sleeping bags on the department floor to truly understand their workflows. That wasn't a planned strategy—it was what the situation required. And it led to insights that shaped our entire product direction.

In North Carolina, a casual conversation during a ride-along revealed a pain point we had completely overlooked. That single insight became one of our most-loved features.

In Utah, sharing lunch with a group of officers taught me more about the daily realities of modern policing than any research report ever could.

What Happens When You Show Up

When you physically show up, several things happen:

The Product Gets Better

Every flight makes Code Four better. Not in abstract ways, but in concrete, tangible improvements.

When I visited a correctional facility, I noticed officers struggling with a specific workflow. We rebuilt that feature entirely based on what I observed—not what they told us in a requirements document, but what I actually watched them do.

When I spent time with a department's IT team, I understood why integration was so painful for them. We changed our entire onboarding process as a result.

When I sat in a briefing room and watched sergeants review incidents, I saw exactly where our AI could save time and where human judgment was irreplaceable.

These insights don't come from remote observation. They come from being there.

The Patches and Challenge Coins

There's a tradition in law enforcement that I've come to treasure. At the end of a visit, chiefs will often hand you a department patch and a challenge coin. These aren't just souvenirs—they're symbols of trust and belonging.

The first time a chief handed me a challenge coin, I didn't fully understand what it meant. He explained that these coins are traditionally exchanged between military and law enforcement professionals as a sign of respect and camaraderie. The fact that he was giving one to a tech founder from San Francisco—someone from a world so different from his—meant something.

Now I have a growing collection. Each patch tells a story. Each coin represents a relationship built not through email threads or video calls, but through hours spent walking the halls of a station, riding along on patrol, or sharing a meal in the break room.

When the red-eye flight is delayed and I'm exhausted in some airport terminal at 2 AM, I think about those patches and coins. They remind me why we do this. They're physical proof that showing up matters, that the relationships we're building are real, and that the trust we've earned has been given deliberately by people who don't give it easily.

Those long trips? They're absolutely worth it.

A Commitment, Not a Tactic

Flying to meet customers isn't a sales tactic for me. It's a commitment to building something that actually works for the people who will use it.

I've met founders who pride themselves on building companies entirely remotely, who've never met their customers face-to-face. I respect that approach, but it's not mine. Not for this problem. Not for this market.

Law enforcement professionals put themselves in harm's way every day. The least I can do is get on a plane to understand their challenges and build technology that genuinely helps.

The Invitation

If you're considering Code Four for your department, I want to meet you. Not on a video call—in person. I want to walk your halls, meet your team, and understand your specific challenges.

If you're already a customer, expect to see me. I'll be there for training, for feedback sessions, for check-ins that could probably be emails but are better as handshakes.

And if you're thinking about joining our team, know this: we're a company that shows up. We get on planes. We roll out sleeping bags when needed. We believe that the best technology comes from deeply understanding the people who use it, and that understanding requires presence.

Some things in life are just better in person. Building technology for law enforcement is one of them.