Adaptive Leadership Project

ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP PROJECT PAPER

“Building Public Trust”

IDENTIFICATION AND DIAGNOSIS

Historically, the California Highway Patrol has benefitted from a high level of public support.  While we continue to receive this support, recent events throughout the country have altered the public’s perception of law enforcement and focused national attention on the sometimes unsettled relationship between law enforcement officers and the communities we serve.  The advent and proliferation of body worn cameras and mobile mounted video recording devices have offered the public vantage point into the world as seen by a police officer.  Like any other profession, we have our bad apples and when the actions of these officers are caught on camera, there is a firestorm of controversy that follows.  These negative events – and even positive events where the officer is right but it just looks bad – are broadcast across the mainstream media and social networks.  What follows is a rapid judgment of the involved officer by private citizens who are ignorant to law enforcement training or criminal law.  The fallout is mistrust for our officers and contempt for our profession.  This produces a bolder and more aggressive element of the population we must police.  Additionally, as a result of the stress and tension between the public and our officers, a byproduct is officers who are reluctant to practice proactive policing for fear conflict and reprisal.  To manage the stress and mitigate tension, my authority affords me an opportunity to influence the thoughts and feelings of the officers under my charge; however, there are few, if any, opportunities to influence the paradigm of public perception.

One way to influence both sides of this issue is to bring them together in one room to discuss the issues.  A way to bring them together is the creation of a Citizens’ Advisory Board (CAB) at my office.  The CAB would be comprised of leaders within the local community (e.g., community organization leaders, faith-based leaders, members of the media, etc.).  The composition of the CAB, and the discussions which would take place, would help ensure the needs and expectations of our communities are served locally.  The purpose of the CAB would be to provide objective, community-based input regarding issues of significance for the Department to optimize its accountability and objectivity.  The CAB would serve as an advisory body to the local commander with the primary purpose of providing objective review and input regarding departmental policies, procedures, training, reporting, and controls to demonstrate consistency with the demands of public safety as well as legal, moral, and public expectations.  

Indicators

The indicators present which indicate this is an adaptive issue and not a technical issue are:

• Current knowledge cannot be applied to mitigate the issue – we have tried.
• Current skills are not enough to create the necessary changes.
• Current abilities do nothing to help the issue.

Regarding the issue of public trust, changes in values, beliefs, and behaviors must happen on both sides of the issue.  We must make an attempt to evaluate our culture and practices from the perspective of the public we serve.  Likewise, the public must be educated in an attempt to help them understand the challenges of our job.

The values driving the behavior of officers are their safety, the safety of others, and law and order.  The values driving the behavior of the public toward law enforcement are, desire to be treated with respect and dignity, need of equality of enforcement, and kindness.  Cultural norms within the law enforcement community in general contribute to the dysfunction.  Officers are taught during initial academy training not to trust the public.  During the first few impressionable years of their careers officers are constantly told, “If their lips are moving, they are lying” and, “Watch the hands.”  While this mindset is important for officer safety and survival, it creates the impression that officers are standoffish and mean.  To address the cultural norms of the public would require a great deal of work.  Our public is a very diverse one made up of many different cultures.

Organization

In order to prevent the discomfort

MOBILIZING THE SYSTEM

Make Interpretations

My interpretations of the adaptive issue of building public trust are:  

• This issue is adaptive rather than technical.  Every officer I spoke with about this issue reiterated their frustration about not knowing what they can do to improve the situation.
• This issue is not benign; it is conflictual and is a catalyst for mistrust.  This is evident daily in the media with reporters spinning news stories to paint members of law enforcement negatively.  The sad reality is this drives sales and interest from the public.  
• This issue is not an individual one.  It is systemic and transcends all ranks and classifications.  

Design Effective Interventions

The method by which I communicate my intervention is critical.  Law enforcement officers do not respond well to change and have settled into the notion that it is an, “us versus them” situation.  I will speak to their hopes and fears.  We all hope to go home at the end of every shift safely.  If we take the necessary steps toward re-building the public’s trust, we go a long way in increasing our safety.  A public who trusts us is a public who is less apt to run from us or fight us.  We should fear a lack of support from the public.  Without public support, ballot initiatives against us pass and weak-on-crime laws (Prop 47) are passed.  

This issue is extremely ripe.  For several decades we have enjoyed, with a few exceptions, good public support.  The majority was not silent and spoke up in our defense.  Now, following the recent incidents in Ferguson and New York, that majority has seemingly gone silent and the hateful majority has surfaced as the dominant voice driving public opinion.  We must reach out to that now silent majority and re-establish their trust.  They need to feel empowered to speak up and support us.  However, that becomes difficult for them to do with the lack of transparency and recent events.  There will always be dissent among the public toward law enforcement.  There is not much we can do about that.

After I introduce this idea to my superiors, peers, and subordinates, I will hold steady and see where the idea goes.  I know the results I want and the path I want it to go, however; not everyone will see it my way.  I will remain present and keep listening to see what life form the idea takes.  I will collect information while I hold steady and figure out my next move.  By observing the groups I will be able to see what ideas are taking hold and which will be unbearable.  My next move will be to adjust and let them, likely management, run with it.

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