Managing the re-positioning of the police from Law Enforcement Officers to Peace Officers

Re-positioning the public perception of cops as “law enforcement officers” to “peace officers” is about much more than a name change. This “Peace Officer framework” represents a fundamental shift in organizational and community beliefs about the purpose of policing. Does the community want its police to focus primarily on the enforcement of laws or on the facilitation of a peaceful community where conflict resolution and alternatives to expensive enforcement sanctions are the first course of action? Accordingly, should enforcement then be a subset of this more collaborative approach? If community interests indicate a shift in policing orientation is desired then what are the strategies leaders need to utilize to realize this new framework?

Efforts focused on articulating a policing model that works for both cops and the communities they are paid to protect, are an essential part of the Peace Officer framework. Discerning stakeholder expectations and needs about policing and highlighting the common ground in policing shared by these stakeholders, is critical to successful organizational change and enhancing the public’s trust and confidence in the police. We can do so without diminishing the nobility of policing nor demonizing the very people we expect to protect us. 

Stakeholder analysis and developing critical mass are requisite techniques used in the effective transformation of policing to the Peace Officer framework. They should become a commonplace strategy used in the wide breadth and scale of change efforts police leaders deal with every day. And they are essential for the development of “policing that works for everybody.” To learn more about thiw click here.