By Dr. Chuck Russo
Department Chair, Human Justice and Criminal Justice
and D.C. Rand
Department Chair, Security Management, Public Policy and Public Administration
On June 16, 2020, then-President Trump issued his Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities. This executive order aimed to encourage police departments to improve transparency, increase training and be more accountable.
However, in the months prior to the presidential election in November of 2020, little was accomplished towards advancing the goals of this executive order. Today, we find ourselves with a new opportunity to revisit this executive order and make more progress on the principles and goals originally outlined in this presidential order.
Will this progress occur in the next four years? Before we attempt to answer that question, let’s address the contents of President Trump’s executive order.
Independent Credentialing Bodies to Ensure Transparency and Safe Policing
Trump’s executive order called for the utilization of independent credentialing bodies to ensure law enforcement agencies promoted transparency. Transparency is perceived by many people as providing safe and accountable policing services to the community.
In our previous article on this executive order, we stated that these independent credentialing bodies should have the ability to identify law enforcement agency deficiencies and provide operational and process guidance. Failure to utilize such independent credentialing organizations could curtail the awarding of federal grants, funds and resources to a law enforcement agency. Such an approach typically aids in compliance, sometimes grudgingly, with these types of “suggestions.”
Enhancing Training Requirements for Law Enforcement Agencies
President Trump’s executive order also encouraged law enforcement agencies to add additional training programs that would be focused on topics such as:
- De-escalation of potentially violent situations
- Response to resistance
- Supervision
- Management
- Mental health
- Homelessness
- Addiction
- Ethics
In addition, Trump’s executive order acknowledged that previous policies shifted many social burdens onto the shoulders of law enforcement agencies. It noted that officers must have proper specialized training and resources to properly address these types of situations.
Providing such training programs would equip front-line law enforcement officers and others with the necessary skills and resources to handle diverse problems daily. We suggest it would also be beneficial if such training earned the officers transfer credits toward a college degree.
Higher Education Pursuits for Law Enforcement Officers
As we stated in our earlier article on this executive order, research has shown that law enforcement officers who have a college degree are over 40% less likely to discharge their firearm in the course of their law enforcement career, compared to a law enforcement officer possessing either a high school diploma or some college but no degree. Similar results are found with other use of force case when comparing college educated officers with their less-educated counterparts.
The skillset that students develop while earning a college degree – such as critical thinking, communications and problem-solving – should also be possessed by our law enforcement officers. All of these skills can be useful tools when police officers deal with the ever-changing and rapidly evolving incidents they encounter on our streets. The more tools in the toolbox, the more opportunities there are for problems to be resolved with successful outcomes.
Our previous article also included a snapshot of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 as we saw that it had numerous similarities to Trump’s executive order. Four years later, we still believe that fact to be true.
Social and political unrest, civil disobedience, mass gatherings, and a sense of lawlessness seems to be what triggered both acts. Both documents seek to assist law enforcement agencies to better address the issues facing them during troublesome times and better equip the people tasked with resolving the social burdens placed on their shoulders.
With Trump’s re-election to the presidency, several questions come to mind:
- Will there be another attempt by President Trump to reinvigorate and reenergize his Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities?
- Will we see federal action and direction to push for independent credentialing bodies for local law enforcement agencies to increase their transparency and ensure safe policing?
- Will there be a federal push for enhanced training requirements for local law enforcement in the areas of de-escalation, response to resistance, supervision, management, mental health, homelessness, addiction and ethics?
- Will a federal push for higher educated officers lead to law enforcement agencies reversing the trend of lower higher standards in favor of hiring better-educated applicants and stressing/encouraging higher educated officers among the ranks?
Again, only time will tell.
About the Authors
Dr. Chuck Russo is the Department Chair of Human Justice and Criminal Justice at the University. Dr. Russo also serves as the United Nations liaison, representing the International Police Executive Symposium. He began his career in law enforcement in 1987 in Central Florida and was involved in all areas of patrol, training, special operations, and investigations before retiring from law enforcement in 2013.
Dr. Russo continues to design and instruct courses, as well as act as a consultant for education, government, and industry throughout the world. His recent research and presentations focus on emerging technology and law enforcement applications, officer hiring and retention, post-traumatic stress, agency response to officer suicide, human trafficking, nongovernment intelligence actors, and online learning.
Mr. D.C. Rand is the Department Chair of Security Management, Public Policy and Public Administration at the University. He began his law enforcement career with the United States Air Force, first as a Security Policeman and then as a Special Agent with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
After retiring from active duty, Mr. Rand began the next phase of his professional career first as an Internal Investigator with the TJX Companies and then with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, rising to the position of Training Manager with the Massachusetts State Police-Commonwealth Fusion Center. Mr. Rand has since served in various positions in academia prior to his appointment as Department Chair.
