on how to better improve our service to our community and our promise to be just , impartial , and fair in all we do .
Despite having a very vocal anti-police minority of public sentiment , less than objective press and media , manipulative social media , and most importantly , a Legislature with a Democratic Supermajority in the state legislature , we managed to pull off a miracle by staving off some of the most sweeping and dramatic police reform that would have negatively impacted public safety and officer safety for generations . However , we did not do this alone or in a vacuum ; it was done by all of you participating with your legislators , council and city managers making calls and letting our voices be heard above the din .
As I write this article , we are going through a national election which feels like there is more at stake than ever before ; at least both sides of the aisle are made to feel that way . What I mean is , this past weekend I finally sat down to watch “ The Social Dilemma ,” a documentary of former employees ( CEO , COO , platform designers , marketing managers , etc .) of the various biggies in social media : Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , et al . I will not go into an in-depth description of this movie other than to say it does portray social media platforms as a very systematic approach that cares not about politics , people or even the “ truth .” It is only interested in increasing “ screen time ” which translates to how they monetize “ users ” and like drug addicted users of these platforms , we are served a scrubbed electronic affirmation of our thoughts , opinions , fears , beliefs , biases ( implicit or otherwise ), with no intent to provide balance , proof , truth or reality other than the one we chose for ourselves by hitting a like button . It is a very dystrophic view of our potential future .
I think the only thing that can stop this insanity is what started it in the first place , people . We all need to take a breath and seriously count our blessings . We have to be proud of the work that we have done , be sincere in the way we engage in the communities and provide guidance and hope to those who are following us into this profession and ascending to roles of leadership . We need to be both the candle and the mirror to spread the truth about what we stand for and the nobility of policing .
This is why even when law enforcement ’ s character and profession is stereotyped and scapegoated it is imperative that we as leaders of CPCA take the higher ground so we can gain a unique and enhanced perspective of our achievements and our failures . This allows us to get better , to be better ; to be honest about ourselves . I am not certain that we have seen the worst , but I am confident the worst has not seen our best either , but it will . The amount of adaptive leadership potential CPCA possesses is off the chart , so be ready to serve CPCA because none of us can do it without the other .
God bless and stay well !
Eric Nuñez , Chief of Police Los Alamitos Police Department CPCA President
Accurint ® Virtual Crime Center
Accurint ® Virtual Crime Center is the next generation policing platform used for COMPSTAT , Analytics , Crime Analysis , and Investigations and builds a complete picture of individuals , locations and incidents .
For additional information please visit : www . lexisnexis . com / avcc _ info
www . lexisnexis . com / risk
LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of RELX Inc ., used under license . Accurint is a registered trademark of LexisNexis Risk Solutions Inc . Copyright © 2020 LexisNexis . All rights reserved .
WINTER 2020 | CALIFORNIA POLICE CHIEF 5