Organizational culture
Field training officer (FTO) training, selection, assignment, and impact should be reviewed to ensure alignment with organizational values and culture. Differences between academy training and guidance provided by FTOs should be analyzed, including observational analysis and surveys of attitudinal and other possible changes before and after the academy, and after field training. Officers with founded…
MORE ▸Training curricula that support law enforcement agency organizational and cultural goals and values, as defined by agency leadership and the community, should be developed and delivered. Trainers and the curriculum should be certified by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) National Certification Program (NCP). Training curricula that support law…
MORE ▸Police officers and their families must be supported by policies that meet inherent policing challenges, such as shift work and risks, and help establish and maintain healthy family relationships.
MORE ▸A culture that encourages early intervention and active bystandership and protects them against retaliation must be created. This will require strong anti-retaliation practices beyond the current legal minimum duty to intervene rules, regulations and laws, and include specific training on active bystandership that both improve police-community relations and ensures the health and safety of officers.
MORE ▸Comprehensive policies and practices should be adopted to promote a culture of officer wellness, including mandatory mental health days and non-punitive assessments. Assessments should promote officers’ physical, mental, and emotional health and wellness, which is an essential component of fair and equitable policing.
MORE ▸Improve police legitimacy within communities by implementing procedural justice training and other practices emphasizing fairness and respectfulness principles.
MORE ▸Research regarding implicit and explicit biases that exist in policing should (1) measure officer and leadership biases, (2) understand the role it plays in decision-making, and (3) determine how to mitigate its influence on policing outcomes, including police legitimacy.
MORE ▸Research must be conducted on police culture, how it influences operations and outcomes, and how it can be changed. This research should identify all the elements of police culture and determine how to prioritize their implementation.
MORE ▸State training and certification requirements for new and current officers (including in-service training and continuing education) should be re-examined to ensure an emphasis on community safety and a spirit of service.
MORE ▸Law enforcement agencies should move away from an aggressive, control-oriented model of policing and towards a culture of community safety and service. This will require a review of community needs and the goals, policies, strategies, and performance metrics within each agency to ensure alignment with a safety and service model.
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