tip of the spear

English

The foremost person or group; those on the front lines.
The leading position of someone in a difficult situation.
- 2021, Trevor George Gardner, “By Any Means: A Philosophical Frame for Rulemaking Reform in Criminal Law”, in Yale Law Journal Forum‎^[1], page 803:
  In this and similar theorizing of criminal-justice reform, Simonson draws the focus of reform advocates to the tip of the spear—police administration.