I am sure many of your recent conversations involve discussions about the events that took place in Missouri, New York, and Ohio. Like me, you have also probably noticed that almost every time you pick up the paper, read an article online, watch the news, or listen to the radio, you hear about these recent events.

What these conversations and media coverage make clear is that the relationship between police agencies and their communities is under scrutiny. It is imperative that law enforcement, as a profession, moves forward and takes all necessary steps to improve and enhance our relationships with the communities and citizens we serve.

In early December 2014, I attended a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to discuss steps for improving and enhancing community-police relations. It was at this meeting that President Obama announced his plan to assemble a Task Force on 21st Century Policing to review ways in which some police departments have improved community relations and to attempt to make those efforts take hold across the United States. While the makeup of the task force is still being assembled, we know that it will be co-led by Philadelphia Police Commissioner and IACP Executive Committee Member Charles Ramsey and former Assistant Attorney General and IACP Research Advisory Committee Co-Chair Laurie Robinson. I am confident that these two individuals will successfully lead this task force and produce as thorough findings as possible in the 90-day period they were given.

Given the quick turnaround time the task force has been assigned, it is my hope that they will use some of the existing work of the IACP and other organizations as a blueprint and starting point, particularly the recommendations established as a result of the IACP’s National Policy Summit on Community-Police Relations: Creating a Culture of Cohesion/Collaboration. This summit, which brought together a wide range of law enforcement officials, community leaders, academic researchers, and policy experts from around the globe to discuss issues and concerns that shape and impact the relationship between police departments and the communities they serve, has produced several actionable recommendations for law enforcement leaders, as well as community groups.

While a deep look into community-police relations is a necessary and positive step to help us all move forward in a proactive manner, it cannot stop there. For more than 20 years, the IACP’s top priority has been the creation of a National Commission on Criminal Justice to develop across-the-board improvements to the U.S. criminal justice system in order to address current challenges and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire criminal justice community. A deep dive into community-police relations is only one part of this puzzle. We must explore other aspects of the criminal justice system that need to be revamped and further contribute to today’s challenges.

I know the frustration that each of us as police leaders can feel at times like these. We see firsthand the remarkable and heroic work that our officers perform on a daily basis. We must continue to wear our badges with pride and highlight all the positive things we do for our communities and the citizens we are sworn to protect. I am honored to put on my uniform every day and to stand beside all of you as we work to overcome these challenges. I am confident that, by working together as a profession, we will be able to build upon our successful efforts, improve our criminal justice system, and enhance our relationship with our communities. ♦

Please cite as:

Richard Beary, “Moving Forward to Build Community Trust,” President’s Message, The Police Chief 82 (January 2015): 6.