The age-old advice to "take control of your destiny before others do it for you" holds great relevance for police unions in light of the police reform initiatives that have been at the forefront of policing for many years. When faced with police reform pressures, union leaders really have two choices: fight them or try and insert the police perspective to make them more reflective of the realities and challenges of modern policing. We argue that working collaboratively with those furthering reform goals is a much more productive stance and contributes to the control of policing’s destiny.

Police unions that take a proactive stance toward reform can help shape its future according to their expertise and experience, rather than having legislators, activists or others shape reforms for them without sufficient operational insight - potentially leading to less practical or effective outcomes.

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