FBINAA JANFEB MAG.2019

ARE WE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES?

B efore we can get into a discussion based on the question, we must understand the importance of relationship in our pro- fession. We have learned a lot from our past and J. Edgar Hoover said it best when he said, “A society unwilling to learn from the past is doomed. We must never forget our history.” Learning from others in our profession is vital to the creation process of best practices. The history of law enforcement has shaped how we deliver ser- vice today. We do not need to look hard for just how simple our service delivery model should be. In 1829, Sir Robert Peel from the London Metropolitan Police described best practices with the principles of modern day polic- ing. Specifically, Peelian Principle number 7 seems as relevant today as it did then. “Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only mem- bers of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence. (Peel, 1829)” Between 1829 and 2015 our profession has had many defin- ing moments and government sanctioned investigations and re- ports about how our profession served or did not serve our com- munities well. These reports memorialize common failures of our profession that we can never allow to be forgotten. They all point to the same common denominator, the presence or lack of a posi- tive relationship. The Wickersham Commission convened in 1931 looked closely at police corruption in the United States and was the pre- cursor if you will to the creation of the Federal Bureau of Inves- tigation and the FBI National Academy. The commission called for reforms in our profession to combat widespread corruption. (United States History, 2018) In 1963, the Warren Court was convened to look closely at defendant’s rights and the abuses of police using force to coerce statements from suspects. Concluded in 1966, the Warrant Court

KEN SAVANO

Law enforcement executives today have access to exceptional train- ing and historical government sanc- tioned investigations into the rela- tionship between those who serve and those who serve them. To be successful today as a law enforce- ment leader you must pursue the best practices that are continually being cultivated in our profession. We must also never forget our past. We have learned the importance of the relationship between our police agencies and the communities we serve. I ask you to consider this im- portant question; Are we, the law en- forcement leaders of today, building relationships in all the right places?

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