The National Policing Institute team proudly presents Inside Our Impact, a newsletter dedicated to sharing NPI’s stories and those who make our work possible. Each issue highlights some of NPI’s research or projects and shares insights into how our dedication to excellence benefits you and your community.
Policing in a Time of Elections
As part of a collaborative effort, the National Policing Institute brought together law enforcement leaders from across the US to help them prepare for their responsibility to provide public safety during the upcoming elections. These leaders all shared their goals for providing safety for workers and voters, as well as:
- ensuring access to polling places;
- ensuring the right to freedom of speech is upheld; and
- reassuring the public that law enforcement’s role is to provide these things for everyone, regardless of anyone’s political perspective.
“Exercising our right to vote is one of the most important things we can do as Americans. Law enforcement’s role during these times is to ensure that everyone can safely participate as they desire, and, when and where appropriate, people can express beliefs and views consistent with the First Amendment,” said Jim Burch, President of the National Policing Institute.
Laws regarding the role of law enforcement vary among states. In some, officers can be at or near polling places, and in others, they may be prohibited or have requirements about when or under what circumstances they can be at or near polling places. Being prepared for these challenges and others is essential.
“By holding these discussions and releasing guidance to law enforcement, we’ve helped prepare these agencies and officers to provide effective public safety during a sensitive and important time for Americans,” added Burch.
Read more about this project.
Procedural Justice
NPI has the tools and evidence that can ensure positive outcomes between police and the public. Evidence has found that these tools help reduce crime and promote better relationships between police and the communities they serve. Through intensive training in a manner of engagement called procedural justice, officers are given tools to:
- make every contact with the community meaningful and effective;
- help reduce crime without relying on arrests as the primary tool or response; and
- maintain community satisfaction with the police.
Through its research, NPI has seen reduced crime, reduced arrests, improved community relationships, less force, and overall better outcomes for all. One of NPI’s goals is to create a national training program that will allow NPI to reach thousands of officers in communities across the US.
“We see this as a very possible game-changer for policing,” said Burch.
Many new approaches to crime reduction involve technology, tactics, or some other kind of change that could have mixed or unintended impacts on people, communities, and officers. While some may be positive, others could have negative implications. Burch says this approach avoids those risks and “promotes a method of engagement that makes policing more effective.”
Read more about this topic.
Employee Highlight
Looking back at his career, NPI’s Senior Director of Training and Technical Assistance Humberto Cardounel sees the important role NPI has played in the profession. He is proud to be part of improving law enforcement for current and future officers, including his own son.
Field resources are just the beginning of what NPI can offer agencies, officers, and communities. Like Humberto, the NPI team has diverse backgrounds that support the organization’s approach to creating tools, knowledge, and resources that help agencies build healthy cultures, recruit and retain qualified officers, and cultivate community trust.
Read the rest of Humberto’s story here.
If you liked this issue, and want more, subscribe to Inside Our Impact here. To learn more about how to support our work, policinginstitute.org/support-our-work.