Police Executive Leadership Series Discussions On The .

Letter from the Executive Directorof the MCCADear colleagues and members of the community,The primary goal of the United States’ police leaders is to foster safe communities, where people don’t have to worryabout their safety and where they know that the police are there to help them. While a certain component of successfulpolicing will always require finding and arresting people who are breaking the law and endangering our safety,police leaders primarily want to accomplish their goals through positive and collaborative relationships with theircommunities—the true marker of community policing. At the forefront of everything a police officer will ever do is acommitment to follow the constitution and the laws of the United States. Nothing less is acceptable.Communities also have the same goal of creating safe environments free from crime and threats, and they wantpolice to accomplish this while at the same time respecting civil rights and civil liberties. Communities also want tohave a voice in the policing process, and they want to feel that their input is respected and incorporated into policingpractices. To achieve this common goal of creating safe communities, police and communities need each other. Policeneed the support and input from their communities, and communities require the protection of the police. Thereare some communities where this connection between police and communities has broken down. Restoring thisconnection and restoring trust in one another is the challenge communities and their police agencies face today.Every major city police chief in United States is considering how the recommendations of the President’s Task Forceon 21st Century Policing impact their agencies, and they are directing their agencies to see where they can improveon what they already do or where they need to think about doing things differently. This examination includesacknowledging past and ongoing mistakes and holding our agencies and our officers accountable. Police officers fulfillan honorable role in our communities that often puts them in harm’s way, so they also need to be acknowledged for thegood work they do that is the hallmark of the majority of officers. They are proud to be guardians of their community,and they too are looking for ways to better connect with their communities.Thanks to the support of the COPS Office, this Police Executive Leadership Series project provided the opportunity forpolice leaders to share lessons learned on how to work toward implementing the recommendations of the task force.While there are difficult discussions that need to be had between police agencies and their communities, we know this isjust a start. We know we must work together to find common ground and move towards a common vision. Major citiespolice chiefs look forward to continuing to be a part of that dialogue and continuing to serve and protect our communities.Thank you,Darrel StephensExecutive DirectorMajor Cities Chiefs Associationvii

AcknowledgementsThe Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) would like to extend a special thank you to the three police chiefs andtheir agencies that hosted each of the Police Executive Leadership Series meetings.f Chief Steve Anderson, Nashville (Tennessee) Police Departmentf Chief Will Johnson, Arlington (Texas) Police Departmentf Chief Roberto A. Villaseñor, Tucson (Arizona) Police Departmentviii

Executive SummaryThe Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) PoliceExecutive Leadership Series involved three round tablesessions hosted in Nashville, Tennessee; Arlington,Texas; and Tucson, Arizona, with attendees that includedpolice executives representing major city police agenciesfrom around the country. In addition, police agenciesneighboring the host cities were included in the sessionsto address the recommendations of the President’s TaskForce on 21st Century Policing as a whole communityand represent different approaches that may work betterfor different types of agencies. The sessions provided anopportunity for the participants to take the work of theFinal Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st CenturyPolicing and continue to build on it to improve policingand to share what they are doing to implement the taskforce recommendations in their departments.Each of the three round table discussions was structuredin a similar manner. Participants were providedbackground on the President’s Task Force membersand the process they used to complete their work.The discussions focused on eight recommendationsselected for the round table because of the challengesassociated with their implementation. Five of the eightrecommendations selected were discussed at all ofthe meetings. The other three recommendations weredifferent at each meeting, so a total of 14 task forcerecommendations were a part of the discussions.The participants in each session related many of the sameexperiences and examples. The sentiments, challenges,and successes shared among participants provide asingular opportunity to develop solutions that canapply nationwide while still allowing agencies to tailorapproaches to meet their own needs.The executive sessions were very productive becausethey helped to demonstrate that agencies have alreadyimplemented a lot of the task force recommendations orthey are looking to improve upon what they are alreadydoing based on best practices they are learning fromother agencies. The sessions also provided an opportunityfor an exchange of ideas on how to approachPatricia WilliamsA speaker addresses attendees at one of the sessionsix

recommendations that still need to be implemented,especially where challenges are expected. A summary ofthe takeaways from each pillar is highlighted here.Pillar One—Building Trust and Legitimacy . Agenciesare working to make sure the guardian mindset andprocedural justice are incorporated through all aspectsof the organization, including recruitment, promotions,training, officer accountability and discipline, andmission and values. Acknowledgment of past injusticescan open communications with communities andcreate the opportunity for agencies to explain howthey are making sure such injustices will not happenagain. Agencies are working to publicly release policies,incident information, and agency statistics to increasethe transparency of police operations and fostercommunications that will be the basis for developingtrusting relationships.Pillar Two—Policy and Oversight . Agencies areestablishing meaningful avenues for incorporatingpublic input into police practices, especially for thosepolicies that are of greatest interest to the public. Asa good practice and in response to interest from thepublic, many agencies have already incorporatedaspects of the task force recommendation that call forindependent investigation and prosecution of officerinvolved shootings and use of force incidents (actionitem 2.2.2).1 The different structures of justice systemsin different jurisdictions require a variety of approaches;the formation of partnerships with state police or otherjurisdictions and the implementation of investigativetask forces are the most common solutions. In regardto the recommendation for incorporating civilianoversight, some departments already have some formof civilian oversight (recommendation 2.8).2 Agenciesacknowledged they had reservations about this oversightrecommendation, but they were looking to find waysto be responsive to the strong sentiment from somecommunity members and civil rights groups that civilianoversight would improve community confidence.Agencies also want to be able to conduct nonpunitive1. President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, Final Reportof the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (Washington,DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015), ce FinalReport.pdf.2.xIbid., 26.peer review of critical incidents as a way to continue toimprove but are concerned about liability and feel it isimportant to seek protections similar to those afforded tothe medical profession.Pillar Three—Technology and Social Media . Socialmedia has become a valuable tool for agenciesto communicate with the public and to increasetransparency. Particularly during critical incidents,agencies are using social media to provide the publicwith the most accurate and up-to-date information. Ithas also become an avenue for agencies to share storiesof positive police activities. Body-worn cameras are thetechnology tool that most agencies are currently in theprocess of implementing to increase accountability andtransparency. Policies have been developed to guide theuse of these cameras, but they are a work in progress asbest practices are developed with increased use.Pillar Four—Community Policing and CrimeReduction . Community policing and crime reduction arenot mutually exclusive efforts, and agencies are lookingfor ways to focus on their core mission of working withthe community to increase public safety. Departmentsare creating ways to increase engagement with the publicand to give communities the opportunity to increaseparticipation in public safety and their understandingof policing. In agencies’ efforts to increase engagementand communication with youth, they have found thatyoung audiences have a high level of enthusiasm forfinding and proposing solutions to problems. Agenciesare also looking for ways to increase the quality of theservices they provide.Pillar Five—Training and Education . Trainingand education relate to all aspects of the task forcerecommendations and policing. Agencies are increasingthe use of real-life scenarios in training to betterprepare officers for situations that will require theirjudgment. Agencies are also considering ways to increasecommunity involvement in training environments,especially for new hires, to help foster the developmentof community relationships from day one. Ultimately,training and trainers need to exemplify the core valuesof the agency and need to stay current with new policydevelopments and lessons learned from the field.Leadership training also needs to be provided across theorganization to prepare all members to be leaders in theirindividual roles.

Pillar Six—Officer Wellness and Safety . Developing atrusting and collaborative relationship with communitieswill improve officer safety. Given the inherent andincreasing stresses of policing, agencies also need toconsider ways to physically and psychologically supporttheir officers. Providing for officer safety requires aconscious investment. Participants suggested manydifferent avenues for promoting safety and wellness,including psychological services, fitness programs,regular medical examinations, a mandatory seat belt andvest policy, and driving training. Others suggested thatthe emphasis on procedural justice ends up improvingofficer safety when it results in more positive interactionswith communities.Many of the session participants emphasized theimportance of police following through and takinga leadership role to implement the task forcerecommendations. All of the chiefs understood that theyneed to be able to tell their communities what they aredoing to prevent negative outcomes and establish andmaintain the core values of their agencies. One participantsaid he feels a burning sense of urgency to address thetask force recommendations and that police need to movequickly on these issues. The Police Executive LeadershipSeries contributed to meeting that need and accomplishedits goal of pushing forward the recommendations tocontinue to improve policing.xi

BackgroundPresident’s Task Forceon 21st Century PolicingOn December 18, 2014, President Barack Obama signed anExecutive Order establishing the President’s Task Force on21st Century Policing.3 He asked the task force to developrecommendations to promote strong and collaborativerelationships between police and the communities theyserve while still promoting effective crime reduction. Thetask force members reached a consensus in the developmentof every one of the 59 recommendations and 92 actionitems. Forty-one percent of the recommendations aredirected at the Federal Government to encourage supportfor state and local police implementation.The task force was diverse. Members brought differentperspectives to the issues, which required significant give andtake but strengthened their final recommendations. As thework of the task force progressed, members learned from oneanother and from both written and oral testimony presentedat listening sessions. Their recommendations reflect thatlearning in the sense that as a group they pushed theenvelope further in some areas and not quite as far as theymight have when acting as individuals. Their work reflectsthe development of a level of mutual respect for one another.The task force framed its work around six pillars thataddressed many of the issues facing policing in theUnited States today. The first two pillars (Pillar One:Building Trust and Legitimacy and Pillar Two: Policy andOversight) provide a foundation for the other pillars andthe task force work. The third pillar addressed the use oftechnology as a tool to improve efficiency and effectivenessof policing while enhancing community engagement.The fourth pillar emphasizes the importance of engagingthe community in problem-solving partnerships andcrime reduction initiatives. The fifth pillar stressed theimportance of a continuous cycle of learning throughoutan officer’s career and, like the other pillars, recommendedcommunity engagement. The final pillar in the task force3. Exec. Order No. 13,684, 79 Fed. Reg. 246 (Dec. 23, pdf/2014-30195.pdf.SIX PILLARS OF PRESIDENT’S TASK FORCEPillar One—Building Trust and LegitimacyPillar Two—Policy and OversightPillar Three—Technology and Social MediaPillar Four—Community Policingand Crime ReductionPillar Five—Training and EducationPillar Six—Officer Wellness and Safetyreport addresses the importance of making officers’physical and psychological well-being a high priority.The task force accomplished a tremendous amount ofwork in a short period of time. There were eight listeningsessions hosted throughout the country with more than120 witnesses testifying during the sessions. The listeningsessions and public conversations held throughout thecountry involved a diverse group of people, which allowedthe group to gather perspectives from members of thecommunity as well as those in law enforcement. Eachlistening session focused on one of the pillars and includeda panel on the future of policing. The diversity of thosethat testified during the listening sessions is a model forconversations that should continue to take place.The task force submitted an initial report to thePresident on March 2, 2015, and released the finalreport on May 18, 2015.The task force report is meant to be a guide forimproving policing in the United States. The Officeof Community Oriented Policing Services (COPSOffice) has resources it will continue to make availableto law enforcement to support implementation of thetask force recommendations. The COPS Office hasproduced the President’s Task Force on 21st CenturyPolicing Implementation Guide to assist communities1

with implementation of the recommendations.4 It hasalso created a web page that provides implementationresources and includes a map providing examples of howcommunities are addressing the recommendations.5Major Cities ChiefsAssociation PoliceExecutive Leadership SeriesThe MCCA Police Executive Leadership Series wasmade possible through a cooperative agreement withthe COPS Office with the goal of encouraging policeagencies around the country to examine the task forcerecommendations and identify how they will implementthem in their departments. The sessions provided anopportunity for the participants to continue to build onthe work of the task force to improve policing.Each of the three round table discussions was structuredin a similar manner. Participants were providedbackground on the President’s Task Force membersand the process they used to complete their work.The discussions focused on eight recommendationsselected for the round tables because of the challengesassociated with their implementation. Five of the eightrecommendations selected were discussed at all ofthe meetings. The other three recommendations weredifferent at each meeting, so a total of 14 task forcerecommendations were a part of the discussions.Two task force members and three task force support staffparticipated in the MCCA Police Executive LeadershipSeries and were able to provide background on thedeliberations and the development of the recommendations.Task force members and staff who attended the leadershipseries meetings included the following:I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how muchconfidence you, yourself, have in each one — a great deal, quite a lot, some or very little?% Quite a lot% Great deal39The militarySmall businessThe policeThe church of organized religionThe medical systemThe U.S. Supreme CourtThe presidencyThe public schoolsBanksThe criminal justice systemNewspapersOrganized laborBig businessNews on the InternetTelevision 12101091281110081020304050607080GALLUPSource: Adapted from “Confidence in Institutions” (see note 6).f Chief Roberto A. Villaseñor, Tucson PoliceDepartment, task force memberf Ronald L. Davis, Director of the Office ofCommunity Oriented Policing Services, task forceexecutive directorf Melanca Clark, Chief of Staff of the Office ofCommunity Oriented Policing Services, task forcechief of stafff Darrel Stephens, Executive Director of the MajorCities Chiefs Association, task force technical advisor4. President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing ImplementationGuide: Moving from Recommendations to Action (Washington, DC:Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015), tion Guide.pdf.The discussion of the task force recommendationsin pillar one in all of the sessions was preceded by apresentation of aggregated data from a recent Galluppoll6 (see figure 1) to provide perspective on the level ofpublic confidence in policing. Generally, the polls showthat the public has a higher level of trust in their localpolice than in police nationally. This helped demonstratethat law enforcement needs to address issues on anational level; work at the local level is not enough. Thepolls also provided valuable insights for law enforcementbecause they distinguish public confidence in the policefrom public confidence in the criminal justice system.The poll results were also revealed that minorities and5. “President’s Task Force,” Office of Community Oriented PolicingServices, accessed June 13, 2016, http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/policingtaskforce.6.f Commissioner Charles Ramsey, Philadelphia PoliceDepartment, co-chair of the President’s Task Forceon 21st Century Policing2Figure 1. Gallup poll on confidence in institutions.“Confidence in Institutions,” Gallup, June 5–8, 2014.

young people have a very different view from Whitepeople and older people. With this information toframe the discussion, the attendees talked about someof the challenges and difficulties they are facing andwhat they are doing and plan to do to implement therecommendations in this first pillar.Before the groups addressed the specific recommendations,the partici

Police Executive Leadership Series Discussions on the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing How police agencies are using the report, how police agencies are implementing the recommendations, police agencies’ reactions to the recommend