Police Trust, Transparency, and Engagement

How rising violent crime, a terrorist attack, and mobilizing community support gave rise to policing changes in San Bernardino.

In today's everchanging and evolving time, it's critically important to understand the importance of community policing and how managers can utilize lessons learned so that they can be proactive in improving policing strategies. While working in San Bernardino, we experienced record numbers of homicides, attempted murders, and shootings throughout the community. In preparing for how to grapple with the increase in violent crimes, the Police Chief, two police command staff members, a school official, and I joined forces to explore policing models and lessons learned before deploying our model.

If you're interested in what we did to deploy our tactics in community policing and building trust with community members, make sure you read through the case study below.

Combatting Crime and Increasing Trust

Violence Intervention Program (VIP)- What is it?

Training Officers in Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy

The Hemet Story

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Combatting Crime and Increasing Public Trust

Is it possible to combat crime while at the same time increasing trust in the community? Absolutely. This was the critical juncture we found ourselves in 2016. In 2016, San Bernardino experienced a significant increase in the number of homicides which ended up being the most homicides the city experienced in over 50 years. We found ourselves exploring programs, doing site visits, and recommending a program to the City Council that resulted in a community based concept which also offered trainings to police officers in police legitimacy and building trust.

Violence Intervention Program (VIP): What is it?

We started with an extensive review of the "literature" which meant learning what researchers said about reducing violence. As a result, we ended up identifying programs that aimed at a comprehensive approach to combat gun violence. This resulted in models borne out of Boston, Chicago, and other big cities which had the same common themes. The programs focused on the following items:

1. Monitoring, analyzing, and interrupting violence

2. Identify and engage with individuals at highest risk of violence

3. Mobilize the community to change norms

4. Educate, train, and embed community policing principles within the police department

We then mobilized a group which included the Police Chief, two members of the command staff, a school district official, and I as a representative of the Mayor's Office. We met with the Chicago Police Department, and learned their approach and how they aimed at changing the local culture (within the PD and in the community) and the lessons learned. We met with the academics who initially created an initial concept in Chicago, and also met with the "Violence Interrupters" who were reformed gang members with extensive "juice" in the community. These people were necessary because they were respected in the community, and could call on truces between warring members of the community.

Violence interrupters from Chicago's CeaseFire program along with retired SB Police Chief Jarrod Burguan, retired SB Captain Rich Lawhead, and SBCUSD's Ray Culberson.

This is where things begin to get a little complicated. How could a police department, whose role included combatting crime, partner with convicted criminals, former gang members, and those suspected of criminal activity without ample evidence to prosecute them, partner with these individuals?

While there were multiple answers to this problem, we agreed to partner with community based organizations and non-profits that had the types of connections with these individuals to deliver the message. The City would offer training in how to be an effective interrupter, and would also be trained in the types of behavioral help that could help members of the community who might be at risk of violence. Help might come in the form of travel expenses for relocation to family in other states, or with job training skills in order to help with self sufficiency.

This was all coordinated by a manager who worked collaboratively with community based organizations, the police department, but was not a sworn officer or member of the police department. This helped insulate and show the community that it was not a "policing program" per se, and helped build trust with the community.

Training Officers in Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy

One part of the program that was critically important was that of retraining officers and emphasizing the importance of building trust with the community. Trust isn't something that can be done in a moment's time. It takes effort, work, and constant reinforcement, and requires top police leadership to instill within the rank and file. In San Bernardino's instance, Richard Lawhead was tasked with carrying out this training along with subordinate leadership and he embraced and lived community policing everyday.

The Hemet Story

Taking the lessons learned from San Bernardino, I knew that every police agency could benefit from strong community relations, and learn from my experiences in San Bernardino. This resulted in an aggressive emphasis on community policing and connecting and engaging with the residents we served, and welcoming in a new standard of policing.

Due to the #Hemet crime challenges, as #CityManager I was able to include various strategies in the City's Strategic Plan to begin changing the culture and bring new ideas to the leadership.

This ultimately culminated in the submittal of a grant application to the State of California for a Violence Intervention Program which was awarded to the City of Hemet to continue breathing new life into the Police Department to improve community relations and reduce crime.

I hope that the program continues on, and that leadership continues to make efforts to prioritize community policing principles.

Our #communities demand that.