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Increase Community Engagement

Jason Louis • Apr 21, 2024

Agencies that don't build positive relationships with the community, specifically related to use force, are missing out on a tremendous opportunity to affect how a community responds to a viral use of force incident, even if that incident didn't occur in that agency's jurisdiction.

Community relationships can be improved by proactively organizing use of force discussions with diverse groups within your community. This includes groups representing minorities, the homeless, LGBTQ, community activists, and high school students. These meetings should be run by charismatic officers and use of force experts. For example, it might include a presentation regarding use of force laws and agency policy then an open discussion regarding the group's concerns. Finally, us of force role-playing or time spent in a simulator where they wear police equipment and respond to calls as if they're the officers. In my experience, our most prominent critics are open to listening and shocked to know there are already comprehensive regulations governing the use of force by police.

Putting law enforcement critics in the position of being an officer who has to make complex decisions under stress completely shifts their perspective. Instead of being hypercritical and judging a use of force with hindsight and outcome biases, they begin to recognize they may not know everything about what happened.

And finally, an added benefit to having an open dialogue with your critics is it opens your officers to diverse viewpoints as well. Every time I've done this, I've seen the two sides develop a better understanding and realize they aren't as far apart as they thought. We just need to talk more and criticize less.

The Briefing Room has a short training video available on this exact scenario so agency supervisors can easily train every officer in your agency on this essential topic.

www.TheBriefingRoom.com
90-Second Training Videos Your Supervisors Use During Briefing or Roll Call To Develop High-Performing Teams of Officers.
✅ Lower Liability
✅ Retain Officers
✅ Build Community Support

🌟 Produced Exclusively by Active-Duty Law Enforcement Instructors 🌟

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Removing Protestors From City Council Meetings

By Jason Louis • 03 May, 2024

With all the political divisiveness in our society, officers can occasionally get pulled into sensitive political situations while working patrol. One of these situations can be when a Police Officer gets a call of protesters disrupting a city council meeting. These can be difficult calls to handle because officer want to protect our citizens' rights to protest, but also need to protect the city government's right to hold public meetings without disruption.

Can Officers Demand a Driver's License at a DUI Checkpoint?

By Jason Louis • 27 Apr, 2024

While working at a DUI checkpoint, an officer is assigned to request a valid driver's license from drivers when they're stopped. However, one man in a vehicle tells the officer he won't provide his driver's license because there is no reasonable suspicion that he committed a crime, and the 4th Amendment protects his right to refuse. Can the Police Officer demand and ultimately arrest the man if he refuses to provide his driver's license?

Invest In Your Employees Through Wellness

By Jason Louis • 24 Apr, 2024

Virtually every law enforcement association or oversight group recommends agencies adopt wellness programs to reduce use of force incidents. This is because wellness programs have been shown to help relieve PTSD, depression, obesity, divorce, diabetes, and many other life issues that lead to more significant stress among officers. Here are some recommendations from the experience of deputies setting up a wellness program within the agency I work for. First, start with modest goals with minimal to no cost. Find a motivated person in your agency who believes in the mission of a wellness program and work with them to develop these modest goals. These can include finding motivational posters you can hang in the station, cleaning up the station weight room, putting weight scales and blood pressure monitors in the locker rooms, and bringing in a volunteer from the community willing to speak during briefing about healthier eating. The initial goals should be clear benefits to the employees and easy to accompli

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