ACPI launches police-community engagement program to help improve public support for law enforcement

Could Crime Prevention Lead to Greater Crime?

October 28, 2020

The American Crime Prevention Institute (ACPI) has developed a comprehensive training and education program designed as a vital step in strengthening community trust and respect for law enforcement.

A recent series of highly publicized police-involved deaths of unarmed citizens has brought unprecedented acrimony toward law enforcement by some segments of the community. Public trust and respect have eroded, resulting in reduced police effectiveness and calls for police defunding - signaling a widening gap between communities and law enforcement. Without positive and fundamental change to improve the relationship between the public and law enforcement, the safety and security of our communities is put at higher risk.

“The public's trust and respect for law enforcement has waned; budgets are being challenged and more heavily scrutinized than ever before,” said Dan Keller, Executive Director, ACPI. “Police-community engagement programs encourage positive, proactive relationships with community members in a non-stressful, non-enforcement and non-confrontational manner. This results in strengthened community support, improved effectiveness and enhanced legitimacy of police.”

Community Engagement for Law Enforcement is a three-day seminar developed specifically for law enforcement administrators, officers and community leaders. The course addresses specific strategies and tactics law enforcement can leverage to address topics such as minority, youth, community activist and LGBTQ engagement, implicit bias and procedural justice, among many others. Designed as a positive step in improving rapport with communities, this course will provide a fundamental re-imagination of effective policing, a roadmap to establishing proactive community relationships, and a review of successful community engagement programs and initiatives currently being employed by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation.

“Without the trust, respect and support of our community, it is difficult for law enforcement to be effective,” said Jeff McGowan, Past President of the Texas Crime Prevention Association. “Community engagement programs strengthen positive police/community relationships.”

The program, scheduled for Dec. 8-10, 2020, will be presented live online, enabling real-time interaction with instructors. ACPI has partnered with SecureBI to conduct this course virtually using interactive video collaboration technology.

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