“IMPROVEMENT OF OUR NATION’S POLICE IS POSSIBLE, but it has got to be a constant and not sporadic occurrence. It is going to take some work from each and every one of us. It is possible to engage police officers in a pursuit of excellence, which is essentially what this is. In the long run, this commitment to improving the systems in which police work is good for them and all of us: police will have more support from their community, they will feel nobler about themselves and the work they do, and their workplaces will be more comfortable, gratifying, and engaging.
“It will be so for citizens, too, because police themselves will be treated with dignity and worth within their own workplaces, and have leaders who respect and listen to them. The method I used was that which [Dr. W. Edwards] Deming proposed – all work is a system; all systems can be improved…
“An organization that is committed to, values, and engages in making things better, is a more effective and exciting place to work. Citizens will feel safer and more in control of their problems when they have a department like this in their community.
“Additionally, citizens will benefit by being policed by men and women who are committed to protecting their rights. There will be more ease in the minority community as many of the police officers will be, themselves, people of color. But most significant of all these characteristics, officers will treat everyone fairly and respectfully and be willing to work with community members in solving problems.
“The reality, however, is that even if you begin today, it will take years to do this. The first place to start is in your city, county, town, or village and the time is now… It is a truth that good policing, on the way to being distinguished policing, happens not so much because of the techniques, tools, or structures of a police department, but because of the values held by the men and women who do the work. Those police departments are found in communities that hold dear the basic values of our society: liberty, justice, fairness, equality, and participation.” [From Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off…]
- And don’t believe the fictitious crime trends that are tossed about to undermine the police reform our nation desperately needs. Read more HERE.
Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation 
“IMPROVEMENT OF OUR NATION’S POLICE IS POSSIBLE, but it has got to be a constant and not sporadic occurrence.”
As Pat Gallagher taught us, the only way to achieve lasting organizational change in our profession is through “Gentle Pressure Relentlessly Applied.”
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Amen, Ashley!
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