California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2018_Spring Magazine_Final | Page 29
Changing the
Narrative through
PEACE
By Chief Deanna Cantrell
I serve on the California Police Chiefs Association Committee for
Changing the National Narrative surrounding police and community
trust. Each of us are innovatively addressing this ever-growing issue
in our communities. To help build trust between the police and the
community, the San Luis Obispo Police Department has engaged
in a series of critical conversations with our community that we call
PEACE, Police Education and Community Engagement.
Policing has grown significantly
more challenging with increase
in crime in much of California,
tightening budgets, rapidly
evolving technology, legislation, and
decreasing trust in law enforcement
nationally. The San Luis Obispo Police
Department knows we must partner
with the community to address those
challenges. We cannot reduce crime
without a strong relationship with
community members who are willing
to support crime prevention efforts by
reporting crime and actively pursuing
neighborhood wellness. We cannot
repair damaged relationships without
a community that is willing to engage
openly and honestly in the process.
In recent years, the relationships
between police departments and
the communities they serve has
been strained to a point of distrust,
negatively impacting cities and
individuals in the community. When
there is no opportunity for these two
groups to have open dialogues and
work together to solve community
concerns, issues remain unaddressed
and communities remain distrustful
and disenfranchised. According to a
survey releas ed by the Pew Research
Center, 86 percent of police officers say
the public does not understand them
very well or at all. However, a separate
survey revealed “most Americans
say they understand the risks and
challenges that police officers face.”
So why, in so many communities,
is there a divide between police
officers and the people? There are a
few reasons for this: the pervasive
nature of institutionalized racism
in government, the relatively recent
phenomenon of videos circulated
nationally that show police force
(both justified and not justified), poor
communication between community
members and police departments,
lack of government transparency, and
the perception of mistrust and overall
inaccessibility or inability to openly
communicate with police officers.
These factors have all contributed to,
and in many ways helped maintain,
the divide between police departments
and communities they serve.
Over the last decade, mistrust and
lack of communication has increased
with the use of social media and other
news outlets. Some videos show police
SPRING 2018 | California Police Chief
29