Running head: INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT AND CHANGE 1

Public Safety Institutional Assessment and Change

James Kidd

University of San Diego

http://jay3907.weebly.com/
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Public Safety Institutional Assessment and Change

In examining submitted works prepared for the Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Leadership program, three papers showed relevance in the area of law enforcement institutional

assessment and change. Implementing a New Policy visits the challenges of changing the culture

of the police organization. Moving Forward examines former FBI Director, James Comeys 2015

speech that addresses racial relations and police citizen relationships. Multi-Agency Gang Task

Force Proposal takes into account the several variables to consider when creating and

implementing a gang task force.

Implementing a New Policy explored the ability to develop a shared vision while enlisting

others to promote trust and transparency in the implementation of the policy in the collection of

data on use of force incidents, investigations, and prosecutions. I was able to receive buy in with

the officers when implementing new policies for our department. I understood that creating a

positive culture would be a key component in the acceptance and understanding of new policies.

Creating a positive culture is about developing a shared sense of destiny and enrolling others in

those efforts so they can see their own interests as being aligned with the organization (Reynolds,

2013). The key was to educate and provide a collaborative process where the officers have input

on the policies. The officers may not always agree with the policy, but they felt as though they

had an opportunity to voice their opinion and be part of the process. Collaborative efforts were

instrumental in creating a positive change in the department.

Moving Forward examined former FBI Director James Comeys 2015 speech and

question and answer session, which focused on law enforcement and race relations. Many topics
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were discussed on what got America to this point in police community relations, and possible

remedies moving forward. My department has had a difficult challenge in the area of real or

perceived bias-based policing. I have met with community members in order to listen, educate

myself at the same time educate them on current issues. We must recognize and identify the

hard truths of our past in order to move forward. James Comey identified One reason we

cannot forget our law enforcement legacy is that the people we serve and protect cannot forget it

either. So we must talk about our history. It is a hard truth that lives on.

Multi-Agency Gang Task Force Proposal considered several variables when creating a

gang task force. I applied the data driven examination to my own department and then identified

resources available to address gang violence in the city. There are several stakeholders that

agreed to be part of the process to address the gang problem. These stakeholders included school

students and officials, church members, and hospital administrators, and other members of the

community. The Multi-Agency Gang Task Force Proposal identified the variables and a positive

response to the gang problem.

Law enforcement institutional assessment and change must constantly be evaluated and

improved upon. The above works identify the need to promote a positive culture within the law

enforcement agency, address strained relationships among the officers and the community

members, and to respond appropriately to the violence that occurs in our community.
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References:

James Comey Full Speech. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2017, from https://www.c-span.org/video/?
c4528067%2Fjames-comey-full-speech
Reynolds, B. (2013) How to change the culture in your police department. PoliceOne.Com from
https://www.policeone.com/chiefs-sheriffs/articles/6969415-How-to-change-culture-in-your-
police-department/