I am often asked how we can continue to achieve accolades such as this with our comparatively low staffing levels. Equally as often, my response is good people, good partnerships, good tactics, and good training. The community we serve is generally law abiding and is made up of people who care about, and are proud of, their community, their neighbors, and their families. For our part, we work diligently to hire similarly minded people who have a desire to serve the community, and who support and abide by our mission statement and values.
Our values focus on treating people with dignity and respect while providing high quality, customer-focused service. In furtherance of this, we work with the community to address their concerns, to maintain their trust and confidence, and to prevent crime. In addition to working with community members, we have built strong partnerships with other criminal justice agencies to address cross-jurisdictional crime. We constantly review the best practices in law enforcement to identify areas where we can improve. We use data to analyze how to best deploy our limited resources that is both effective and efficient. Our tactics and training focus on de-escalation to minimize our use of force, while being aggressive in our efforts to hold people accountable for victimizing and compromising the well-being of our residents. These tactics have saved multiple lives of armed suspects who were threatening to harm themselves or other people.
Our noble profession has been under attack of late; some in politics, media, and special interest groups have accused us of losing the trust or our communities. Ironically, national public opinion polls rate trust in police officers higher than the very occupations that have made these accusations. One media outlet recently reported this in an article, but concluded that trust in law enforcement will most likely be reduced by the coverage of recent events. Law enforcement agencies, like ours, across this great country have made great strides in their communities through partnerships developed by employing community policing. A strong partnership between a law enforcement agency and the community it serves requires open lines of communication and transparency; sometimes there are dynamics in place that make this harder in some communities than in others.
There have been great advances in police tactics and strategies, such as Intelligence-led Policing, that have resulted in reductions in violent crime and overall crime rates. Unfortunately, there are also critics claiming there are too many people arrested for gun crimes and drug offenses; offenses that degrade the quality of life in many neighborhoods. Throughout the recent intense media coverage, one important factor is rarely discussed: solid partnerships and community trust are two-way streets. They must have commitments and open communication between the both police and community. Another important point not being discussed is the significant increase in firearms related deaths of law enforcement officers. I am very concerned about the seemingly encouraged acts of violence against police and that people are being emboldened to resist law enforcement. The place to resist law enforcement and authority is in the courtroom, not on the street.
There are things that we can do to maintain positive relationships and to repair the damage that is being done. We will continue to move forward with our body worn camera program. While we are still working to resolve some issues (such as slow download times), it is my desire to complete the roll-out to officers in patrol functions during calendar year 2015. The benefits of the body worn cameras far outweigh the administrative burden. I feel that it is essential that we move forward with the program to not only hold ourselves accountable for our actions and maintain transparency, but also to protect our officers and our department.
While research indicates that body worn cameras reduce complaints and use of force incidents, they are not an all-encompassing solution to maintain trust and transparency. We must be prepared to explain what is seen on the videos and officer must clearly explain and justify their actions in their departmental reports. These explanations must include officers’ perceptions and observations that resulted in their actions. We continue to use appropriate force when it is necessary to protect ourselves and other, but we must be prepared to explain our actions. We must be prepared to answer why it takes multiple officers to control suspects who are resisting arrest and the dangers posed to officers when a suspect refuses to place their hands behind their back to be handcuffed, resists arrest, or flees from law enforcement.
We must continue to train our officers to de-escalate situations by slowing things down and effectively communicating with people when we can do so without compromising the safety. Patrol tactics should include the creation of distance when approaching suspects to give ourselves options when we are dealing with potential threat situations. We must continue to cultivate a culture in our organization that stresses treating people with dignity and respect when we can, even when they are not treating us that way.
Lastly, we need to take the time to talk to people, rather than talking at them. Ask people to do things before telling them when you can. Do not be afraid to explain the why of your actions and our procedures. Always remember our oath of office and that we are here to serve our community. We are tasked with enforce the law and maintaining order in a culture and environment which resents authority. We will not make everyone happy. It is unrealistic to believe people will like us when we hold them accountable by arresting or citing them. It is also important to remember that the majority of the public we serve appreciate us for our service. They frequently commend our officers and employees for professionalism, compassion, and for going beyond the expected to give them assistance and service. Our goal is to maintain the trust, confidence, and the respect of the majority.
Best wishes to all of you for a safe and happy holiday season and in the New Year.
Chief’s Update Gilbert Poice Department Tim Dorn, Chief of Police
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