Happy New Year 2021
Clint Rand
For many, 2020 was the Big-Bang that introduced what we might expect in the 21st century. But for those of us who survived the decades of the 1960s and 1970s – the Vietnam War, the assassinations of a U.S. president, his brother, a U.S. senator and presidential contender and a Civil Rights leader, the Cold War, the Hippies, recreational drugs, the Beatles, the New Left, and daily bombings by underground groups dedicated to the overthrow of the government, 2020 was not nearly as deranged as many might imagine. Plus, we had the benefit of knowing that when violent demonstrations occurred, which were frequently, the cops were not afraid to win!
Here at The Center for Law Enforcement Research, LLC, we spent a lot of time this past year examining several issues confronting law enforcement and now we’re deciding on the best approach to collecting and analyzing data and reporting on the resulting options for consideration. Some of these issues include:
Criminal Justice Programs in Higher Education
Many of these programs have been coopted by other academic departments (sociology and psychology) that teach to achieve an idealistic rather than a realistic reality.
Police Training
There are hundreds of state and local law enforcement academies in the U.S. that train approximately 50,000 recruits per year by more than 5,000 sworn personnel as full-time instructors, most with no understanding of the concepts of adult education. Several problems are implicit in that statement and another is a lack of uniformity in training.
Leadership
Leadership in law enforcement is about change and effective leaders are those who are able to effect positive change on behalf of others, their agency and the community they serve. Leadership requires commitment, collaboration, creativity, civility and courage. Race and gender are irrelevant to the qualities required for effective leadership.
Policing Strategies
Community Policing, Broken Windows, Problem Solving Policing have not resolved problems related to police-community relations – why and is there a strategy that will work?
Police Organization and Operations
There are 12,092 police departments in the U.S., 2,766 have 1 to 5 officers, and 3,155 sheriffs departments, 386 have 1 to 5 officers. Preliminary research indicates that consolidation might result in a far more efficient use of personnel and resources.
The list is lengthy but I will end it for now. Have a safe and Happy New Year.