Vision & Focus
Officer Safety & Wellness
.jpg)
First, we must work to lower line-of-duty death rates by improving officer fitness
and wellness. Nearly a third of the line of duty deaths annually are due to medical
issues. And, while the numbers are improving, promoting physical fitness and
wellness programs is essential to reducing those numbers even further. We must continue to invest in officer mental wellness programs to destigmatize seeking mental health treatment within our profession. Programs like embedded mental health professionals, peer support programs, and critical incident stress debriefings should be commonplace in departments everywhere.
Trust Building
Strengthening trust between our organizations and the public is essential. The investments we make today will sustain us in difficult times. I am a strong advocate of the IACP Trust Building Campaign as a highly effective way to strengthen the bond between law enforcement and the public. We may need to adjust how we interact with the public to more non-enforcement encounters. People want a police department, not a police force. We need to work with our communities to improve the quality of life and protect people from harm.
Bias Free Policing
I do not subscribe to the belief that police officers are discriminatory. In fact, most
police officers come to work every day hoping to make a positive difference in people’s lives. While some among us allow bias to creep into their work, systemic racism is not a part of law enforcement. However, it is incumbent that we recognize that how we operate today was not always the case historically. We must continue to reinforce that 21st-century policing is void of bias. We must show our communities that we serve everyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or political affiliation. We do this by constantly and consistently holding ourselves and our officers accountable for our actions.
Alternative Response Protocols
The last decade, especially the last five years, has probably been the most challenging time in modern law enforcement history. If we have learned nothing, it is that today we cannot police the way we did yesterday. We must learn and adopt new approaches to policing. We must promote alternatives to police response and get our officers back to doing what law enforcement was created to do; protect our communities from harm. I believe in, and will support, innovative methods of providing service. Methods such as embedded social workers, victim advocates, civilian crash investigators, and the like.
Leadership
Good leadership is critical. We must invest in the personal and professional
development of each other and our people. Our people, and our communities, expect and deserve to be led by the most capable leaders. We must coach, counsel, and mentor each other every day. Young officers will not stay in law enforcement working under ineffective supervisors. Confident leaders train their subordinates how to do the leader’s job. It is vital that we prepare our organizations for the eventuality of our departure from law enforcement. We do that by training and developing future leaders. We must operate above the line and make policing
better.
