On Policing

Welcome to the On Policing series.

PF On Policing logo final versionOn Policing captures the thoughts of some of the country’s most important voices on contemporary policing. It is intended to stimulate debate about the state of policing and the myriad of challenges involved in controlling crime, disorder, and terrorism in a democracy like ours. The opinions are the authors’ own and may not represent the official position of the Police Foundation. All comments are welcome – especially contrarian ones. We reserve the right to remove hateful or profane posts.

Please refer to the essay entitled “An Introduction to On Policing” for an in-depth introduction to the series by the Police Foundation’s president, Jim Bueermann. If you would like to contribute to the On Policing series, please send your 500-1000 word essay to onpolicing@policefoundation.org.

 

 

 

3November
2016

Leading Culture Change

debora_blackBy Chief Debora Black
Prescott Police Department

“The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture.” -Edgar Schein

As leaders of law enforcement agencies, we might well debate the accuracy of Mr. Schein’s statement as we daily face threats to the safety of people in our communities, challenges which threaten the credibility of our organization, and real dangers that risk the very lives of our officers. There is no debate, however, about the importance culture plays in creating effective police departments with strong connections with their community.

Given the events of the past 18 months and the widespread criticism of our profession, officers could easily choose to isolate themselves from the very people they are sworn to protect. If that happens in a department, the principles of community policing are weakened, ultimately leading to even greater distrust of officers, which undermines the overall effectiveness of the department’s ability to protect the community from harm. Read More & Share

27October
2016

Law Enforcement Must Regain the Public’s Trust

davethomas2By Dr. David J. Thomas
Police Foundation Senior Research Fellow

I write this as an African American male and as a retired police officer.

There is so much American history that some of America wants to forget. Quite honestly, we Americans have short memories when it comes to uncomfortable reality or truth that interferes with our way of life. For instance, if I bring up slavery, police would argue: “Slavery has nothing to do with where we are today. I am not responsible for something that happened 300 years ago.”

What is lost in this argument and what the law enforcement community fails to recognize is that our past is the root of problems today. Read More & Share

12October
2016

Solving Crime and Enhancing Community-Policing Using Advanced GPS Tracking Technology

lt-martinez-hi-res-picBy Travis Martinez
Special Operations Bureau Lieutenant with the Redlands Police Department

As the crime rate continues to increase throughout California with communities feeling the effects of prison realignment and Prop. 47, law enforcement agencies across the state are challenged with finding new strategies to address community concerns.

Several police agencies – including the Redlands Police Department (RPD) – appear to have found an effective strategy to leverage GPS technology to address crime trends that are popping up in the community. Since 2011, RPD has made 220 arrests for all sorts of robberies and thefts using motion-activated GPS devices that have the capability of being deployed in the field for up to 21 months.

It may seem as if success is measured by the number of arrests, but the reality is most deployments do not result in apprehensions. When it comes to enhancing community policing and promoting police legitimacy, all deployments are critical, even those that ultimately do not result in an arrest.  Read More & Share

12September
2016

Learning Critical Lessons from 9/11, Then and Today

Frank Straub, Director of Public Safety, waits for his segment of a hearing with members of the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee, Indianapolis, Wednesday, April 18, 2012. Robert Scheer/The StarBy Frank Straub
Director of Strategic Studies
Police Foundation

On Saturday (September 10th), I received an email from Jim Bueermann, my boss at the Police Foundation. The email’s subject line was succinct:

“Is that you in this photo from 9/11?”

I opened the email and clicked on the link Jim had provided; I watched the video, and there I was, kneeling next to a NYC fire fighter whom my partner and I had pulled out of the first tower of the World Trade Center after it collapsed. Amazingly, he had survived even though he had been in the lobby.

I had never seen the photo, and it brought back memories of 9/11, which Jim asked me to share. Read More & Share

2September
2016

Big Time Trouble Won’t Only Happen in Big Cities

jhadley picBy Jeff Hadley
Chief of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety

If the past year has shown us anything, it’s that crime and terror on a major scale can happen anywhere, not just in big cities like New York or Washington D.C.

There were probably a lot of Americans who had never heard of Kalamazoo, Michigan, before an Uber driver went on a killing spree in my community on Feb. 20, 2016, but I am guessing a lot of Americans also had never heard of San Bernardino, Calif., before terrorists attacked it last December.

Just two weeks before the Uber driver killed six people, I was talking to a reporter and discussing the notion that an active shooter event could easily happen here. As police chiefs, we have to be ready for major incidents, no matter the size of the community that we are responsible for protecting. With major incidents comes major attention from the national media, and these days, sometimes even the international media. Read More & Share

28July
2016

Community-Led Policing

Tim Hegarty photo 2By Tim Hegarty
Captain of the Support Services Division
Riley County Police Department

Current models of civilian oversight explicitly separate the roles of the community and the police in the decision-making process. In fact, most civilian oversight exists to address the consequences of decisions already made by the police. The Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing reinforces this separation by recommending “some form of civilian oversight in order to strengthen trust with the community,” and yet it acknowledges there is no evidence to support this recommendation. The President’s Task Force rightly calls for more research into the efficacy of civilian oversight, but there is another model that may be better suited to address the police legitimacy concerns fueling the demand for civilian oversight. Read More & Share

25July
2016

Chief Flynn Discusses Race and Law Enforcement During Presidential Town Hall


FLYNNEdwardAMilwaukee Police Chief and Police Foundation Executive Fellow Edward Flynn took part in the nationally televised town hall forum with President Obama on Thursday, July 14, 2016. The forum tackled race relations and law enforcement, two issues that have been at the forefront of the nation in recent weeks. Chief Flynn addressed both the issues of minorities’ mistrust of law enforcement and the easy availability of high-powered weapons. Read More & Share

21July
2016

If We Open Our Ears and Our Minds, We Can Reconnect with Our Communities

Higgins-Photo-originalBy Ronnell Higgins
Chief of the Yale University Police Department

In the business of policing, we often talk about lessons learned.

Let me tell you something, from my perspective as chief of the university police, we sure have had ample opportunities to learn some lessons here at Yale University over the past year.

Last January, my department came under fire after one of my officers drew his weapon while stopping a young black male who matched the description of an intruder seen at another nearby college where there had been a series of burglaries. It turned out the young man was not the intruder—he was a Yale student. It also turned out the student was the son of a New York Times columnist who took us to task at a time when policing in America, especially in communities of color, was under intense scrutiny. Read More & Share

24June
2016

Taking Emergency Medicine in the Field to a SMART Level

Dr. Neeki and three medics pose for photos at the Colton inpound area. By Dr. Michael Neeki
Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center 

I left Iran more than three decades ago to escape fanatical religious extremism. As one can imagine, I was greatly disheartened upon seeing such zealotry in my home of the United States that fateful day of December 2nd, when the San Bernardino terrorist attack occurred.

I am greatly honored to have been part of the Inland Valley SWAT team, supporting the brave members of the San Bernardino city police and fire department during that tragic event. However, this experience was profoundly sad and devastating due to the loss of life to 14 innocent people, all of whom simply went to work that morning. The work of the first responders to the terrorist attack prevented further loss of life that day. Read More & Share

14June
2016

Orlando Tragedy Spurs Memories for San Bernardino Police Chief

Burguan_JarrodBy Chief Jarrod Burguan
San Bernardino Police Department

With a very heavy heart, I watched the tragic news unfold out of Orlando this past weekend.

It was painful for me to hear of the unconscionable loss of life. It made me proud to see law enforcement responding forcefully and effectively to prevent more people from being slaughtered.

But it was also an odd situation for me, being on the other side of things. It was just seven months ago that I found myself front and center after my city of San Bernardino fell victim to a terrorist attack from a husband and wife who shot and killed 14 innocent people. Read More & Share

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