2018 IACP Leadership Awards Blog Series

Over the next several weeks, the International Association of Chiefs of Police will recognize the 2018 IACP Leadership Award Winners, who have made meaningful contributions to both their communities, and law enforcement as a whole. Their achievements are representative of the incredible leadership displayed by police organizations across the globe.

This week will focus on community safety. Awards for Community Safety are given to agencies and individuals who not only confront criminal activity but increase the quality of life in their communities through other proactive measures. These agencies and individuals promote a safe environment for people who live, work, and visit their communities by reducing crime and the fear of crime and disorder.

  IACP/Cisco Leadership in Community Policing Award

The IACP/Cisco Leadership in Community Policing Award recognizes promising practices that utilize effective and long-lasting partnerships to make local, national, and global communities safer. This award honors agencies for programs that exemplify the principles of community policing and strengthen community trust through active and inclusive community collaboration. Learn more about Cisco. 

Agency Serving Populations <20,000
Columbia Heights, Minnesota, Police Department
Columbia Heights is a small northeast suburb of Minneapolis. Following the April 2015 arrest of a terror suspect living in their jurisdiction, the Columbia Heights Police Department (CHPD) sought to improve their relationship with, and understanding of, the significant Somali immigrant population living in the community. CHPD worked to build trust and legitimacy within the area by diversifying their workforce and hiring East African officers who could effectively communicate with community members. Additionally, CHPD partnered with shareholders to build a neighborhood center, which acts as a part-time substation, where the community can have conversations in their native language with officers. It also serves as a hub for activities such as youth outreach, social services, and community assistance. The proactive work of the department has positively affected change within the community.

Agency Serving Populations 20,001-50,000
Sand Springs, Oklahoma, Police Department
The Sand Springs Police Department, located in Tulsa County in northeast Oklahoma, developed a Policing Plan after reviewing the U.S. Department of Justice report on incidents that led up to the 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. The department developed the plan to foster trust, align police policies with the community’s values, embrace technology, prioritize community engagement, invest in training, and focus on the well-being of officers. Since the original document’s inception, SSPD has developed two more editions, with a third currently in development. The Policing Plan serves as a road map to successful policing in the community.  Officers and the public have direct input, and the City Council adopts each year’s plan by resolution.  The process has led to both organizational and community buy-in, creating a community-oriented policing environment that achieves the identified goals of the plan.

Agency Serving Populations 50,001-100,000
Gloucester Township, New Jersey, Police Department
The Gloucester Township Police Department, located in Camden County, New Jersey implemented a community-wide violence prevention program called “3rd Gear Policing.” The program includes The Juvenile Unit Huddle, which was created in partnership with School Resource Officers to examine every call for service involving a minor. The Juvenile Unit Huddle aims to provide discreet assistance by identifying the root cause of the issue and a trusted adult in the juvenile’s life. 3rd Gear Policing also includes the Substance Abuse Visionary Effort (SAVE) Program, which places a Certified Drug Counselor in the Municipal Court to provide resources for those charged with minor offenses. These strategies have led to meaningful changes within the community, including a decrease in overall Uniform Crime Reports, first time offending youth recidivism, and repeat juvenile runaway reports.

Agency Serving Populations 100,001-250,000
Tallahassee, Florida, Police Department
The Tallahassee, Florida, Police Department has focused on community policing to build trust and legitimacy in order to decrease crime. They have accomplished this through a variety of successful initiatives such as the Neighborhood Public Safety Initiative (NPSI), Operation Safe Neighborhood (OSN), and the Community Oriented Policing and Problem-Solving Squads (COPPS). These programs seek to address public safety and respond to violent crime through a focus on prevention, education, community beatification, volunteerism, empowerment, strategic partnerships, increased visibility, and more. As a result of the implementation of these programs, the community has seen dramatic decreases in both violent and property crime, as well as increases in case clearance rates.  The utilization of community policing strategies has forged lasting partnerships within the city, leading to improvement in the overall quality of life for residents and visitors.

Agency Serving Populations 250,000+
Plymouth County Outreach, Massachusetts
Plymouth County Outreach (PCO) is an opioid prevention and recovery coalition in Plymouth County, Massachusetts made up of 27 municipal police departments, Bridgewater State University Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Sheriff’s Department. PCO also has partnerships with dozens of non-law enforcement providers in healthcare, treatment, recovery, local coalitions, faith-based organizations, and regional hospitals. The goal is to provide resources and support to those suffering from substance use disorders and to their loved ones. In Plymouth County, all police departments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to offer overdose survivors pathways to treatment, maintain a real-time overdose monitoring program, and commit officers to training and participation in overdose follow-up visits with other assistance providers. This program is recognized as a model to address the opioid crisis.

IACP/ecoATM Leadership in Crime Prevention Award 

The IACP/ecoATM Leadership in Crime Prevention Award recognizes innovative, data-driven, low-cost, and high-impact crime prevention programs. Programs recognized for this award should exemplify effective crime reduction strategies and specific measures of success. Agencies must demonstrate how their crime prevention program builds community trust and increases community engagement. Learn more about ecoATM.

Chandler, Arizona, Police Department
The Chandler Police Department, located in Maricopa County in southern Arizona, established the Guardian Academy to offer basic childcare knowledge to any responsible person put in care, control, custody, and/or guardianship of a child. The program covers various topics and situations that children are exposed to daily, and the warning signs of criminal or risky adolescent behavior. Guardian Academy classes created enthusiasm throughout and beyond the Chandler Unified School District personnel and into the parent-teacher associations, neighborhood groups, crime analysis organizations, and churches. Developed by their Crime Prevention Officer, the program is cost-effective and helps to maintain a high level of trust within the community. As a result, Chandler remains one of the United States’ safest cities with populations over 250,000 residents.

IACP Leadership in Civilian Law Enforcement/Military Cooperation Award

The IACP Leadership in Civilian Law Enforcement/Military Cooperation Award recognizes excellence in cooperation between civilian and military law enforcement agencies. This award highlights the development of innovative joint efforts to improve public safety for both military and civilian communities.

Texas Department of Public Safety
First conducted in 2015, the Texas Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) is a joint initiative developed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Air Operations Division with support from the Texas Army National Guard and Texas Task Force 1 to address collaborative challenges in border security operations and natural disaster response. By pooling resources, the state of Texas can better respond to natural disasters and border security issues. SAREX serves as an effective and successful model of civilian-military integration, which can make a difference and save lives, which was evident in the successful deployment of Federal, Military, and local assets during the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in 2017. Forming and maintaining relationships have proven to be a key to success, and annual exercises are critical to ensuring that inter-agency coordination takes place efficiently and that communications plans are viable. This is only possible by planning, coordinating and conducting exercises such as SAREX.

IACP Leadership in Victim Services Award

The IACP Leadership in Victim Services Award recognizes agencies that best exemplify an organizational philosophy of placing victims at the center of their problem-solving efforts by utilizing effective partnerships, training methods, and performance monitoring tools to enhance law enforcement response to victims of crime. Nominees should demonstrate an innovative approach to meeting the needs of crime victims within their communities and showcase a program that has been fully implemented or is in the process of being fully implemented into their agency.

Small Agency
Shakopee, Minnesota, Police Department
The Shakopee Police Department, located in Scott County in southeastern Minnesota, has been working to enhance victim services for decades, as illustrated by their longstanding partnership with the local domestic violence program, Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women (SVABW). Three years ago, Shakopee’s Police Chief developed a Victim Services Coordinator (VSC) position fully funded by the city to meet the needs of victims. Since then, the VSC has shifted a lack of awareness of crime victims to a culture of increased awareness, involvement, and compassion. The VSC puts victims in touch with 122 different service providers, while keeping them updated on their case and helping them to execute their rights. This has allowed the department to reach people who normally would not come forward and has improved the quality of care for victims.

Midsize Agency
Colorado State Patrol
The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) established their Victims Assistance Unit (VAU) in 1991 to provide services to those who suffer from unexpected and violent traffic incidents, including non-Colorado residents visiting the state. The VAU supports victims with on-scene crisis intervention; coordinates the return of personal belongings, care for injured pets, lodging for uninjured passengers, transportation for out-of-state family members; and provides many other important services. Additionally, the VAU focuses its attention on serving the needs of victims of human smuggling and trafficking. Working in close partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, funeral homes, counselors, psychologists, social workers, consulates, and several others, the CSP has created an adaptable model for law enforcement agencies.

Large Agency
New York, New York, Police Department
The New York Police Department’s (NYPD) Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP), which began in September 2016, is a joint effort between the NYPD and the non-profit organization, Safe Horizon. CVAP places crime victim and domestic violence advocates directly in police precincts throughout New York City to provide victims with a wide array of assistance. The advocates’ primary roles are to help victims navigate the criminal justice process, engage in proactive safety planning, and facilitate access to a range of resources. The CVAP also expands the number of individuals served, while establishing a continuum of care for victims. Placing advocates in every precinct in New York City is a tremendous undertaking, which demonstrates a firm commitment to victim services.

IACP/Security Industry Association Michael Shanahan                         Leadership in Public/Private                             Cooperation Award

The IACP/Security Industry Association (SIA) Michael Shanahan Leadership in Public/Private Cooperation Award, in honor of the late Chief Michael Shanahan, who served the University of Washington Police Department for 24 years before retiring in 1995 and served as the founding chair of the IACP Private Sector Liaison Committee, seeks to recognize outstanding achievement in the development and implementation of public/private cooperation in public safety. The IACP/SIA Michael Shanahan Leadership in Public/Private Cooperation Award recognizes partnerships between law enforcement agencies and private industries that have collaborated to build community trust and enhance public safety. Learn more about the Security Industry Association.

Village of Pinecrest, Florida, Police Department
The Village of Pinecrest Police Department, located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, worked with Florida International University (FIU) to create the Virtual Roll Call Briefing/FIU Capstone Project. This initiative uses technology to better relate to the incoming workforce and increase efficiency while addressing the challenges of conducting in-station roll calls when there are no overlaps between shifts. The Virtual Roll Call Briefing is delivered through a web-based application and allows officers to report to their designated patrol zones faster and revisit roll call information. It also provides BOLO alerts, shift-specific information, watch orders for the homes of vacationing residents, and an acknowledgment confirmation so that supervisors have a record of receipt for each officer. This project serves as an example of what can be accomplished when the public and private sectors come together to overcome the daily obstacles faced by law enforcement.