The Argument for Integrated Policing
INTRODUCTION
I’m Robert Grant, III, a Sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department. I welcome your interest and appreciate your consideration in implementing a new approach to Community Policing, Integrated Operational Policing. After 28 years of service, I’ve realized that neither my Juris Doctorate nor the never-ending Enforcement Plan from Command Staff enough to solve the Citizens problems in the field.
Policing Academics and Predictive Policing isn’t working … remote and detached Command Officers in the New Age Spanish Inquisition called CompStat, isn’t working.
Integrated Operational Policing is a preemptive method of Field Decision-Making between the Stakeholders that count. Integrated Operational Policing promotes the daily contacts that community building stakeholders and Field Officers have that contribute to successful policing. The Local Cop, the Local Citizen …working together, to protect their community.
Law Enforcement Action Planning is best accomplished, in the field, before major incidents happen … hand-in-hand with the Citizens that we serve.
In this new Millennial Environment … Integrated Operational Policing is necessary method in dealing with the looming yet growing challenges of this New Age Anarchist Movement.
THE OLD PARADIGM VERSUS THE NEW PARADIGM
Despite the changes in the American Society, law enforcement remains focused on the Old Paradigm of law enforcement that creates the John Wayne Leader. That salty veteran decision-maker that believes he’s the best decision-maker from his vantage point, atop his oversized horse … or in the case of law enforcement some ornate Police Headquarters building. In the day of Sheriff Hogeboom, the John Wayne Leader was necessary. In the day of the Earp Brothers, the John Wayne Leader was preferred, but there existed MORE community options and John Wayne was NOT as important.
Modern Peace Officer decision-making is firmly rooted in the text of “Police Administration”, a book written in 1943 and most recently revised in 1997. O.W. Wilson has influenced law enforcement to push Operational Policing decision-making to a core group of administrators. In the law, this form of policing defines the agencies residency as within the control group. The so-called Nerve Center Test. This 70 year old paradigm encourages and promotes those leaders that distinguish themselves from other as the best John Wayne type of leader. The major flaw in our current form of law enforcement is that the higher you rise in the police agency, the more a leaders becomes detached from the local citizens and communities.
Dyadic Communicative Model: a model of limited communication beyond the control group
Integrated Operational Policing functions on the residential basis of the so-called Muscle Test. The Muscle Test drives the home and heart of the agency back into the hands of the field officers and community partners (stakeholders) to direct the decision-making of local problems. The Muscle Test is based upon the location of the overwhelming majority of Policing occurs. The local community.
Decision-making needs to remain on the ground … in the local community.
Triadic Communicative Model: a model based upon the expansion of communication into the rank and file, the control group, and more importantly, into the community stakeholders as partners.
Grant’s Preemption: A Community Stakeholder’s right to negotiate, discuss, bargain for, and endorse, in good faith, the methods of community-based policing and seek the redress of grievance within the same community, in direct partnership between the Community Stakeholder’s and Policing Agency or Authority, to establish the prevailing law, community peace, and the maintenance of order prior to and before the existence of incidents of unusual violence, civil unrest, and instances of malfeasance.
Integrated Operational Policing promotes and encourages an expanding, robust form of communication.
THE PROCESS OF INTEGRATED POLICING
We are dyadic in a triadic world. There is no such thing as “trickle-down” policing … but that’s how we act. As if Command Staff understands what is needed in Miss Thomas’ neighborhood.
There are far too many impediment for any command officer to reach the local problem. Regardless of whether the problem is chronic or temporal, it’s the Stakeholder Field Officer working with the Stakeholder Community Member that affects the long-term community issues.
Integrated Operational Policing is about the creation and sustaining of healthy operational dialogues with Righteous Stakeholders. Those Stakeholders that are looking to correct problems and improve the local communities.
Who: Whose interests does Integrated Policing address?
Integrated Operational Policing recognizes the DISINTEGRATION of the Police-Community relationship as in solving community issues. In fact, the Partnerships that are the most important part of Community Policing have devolved into a contemptuous adversarial relationship. Integrated Operational Policing first and foremost is designed to open substantive communication, decision-making, and bilateral culpability.
This ain’t no touchy-feely endeavor. Law Enforcement AND Community Partners are held accountable for the actions of the assigned officers for decision-making.
Candid discussions will need to occur on both sides of the equation. Feelings will be hurt. And counterproductive social and political rhetoric will be excluded. But in the end … those Righteous Stakeholders that set as their true goal the positive impact of their community … then Integrated Operational Policing is the perfect model.
The primary objective is to find common values and set realistic goals.
What: What does an Integrated Policing scheme accomplish? (The Anarchist Era)
Make no mistake … the burdens placed upon police agencies today in America will only get worse. We’ve entered the Age of Anarchy.
Destructive social groups, foreign and domestic terrorism, increased aggravated assaults, and the rampant Anti-Cop sentiments have become the hallmark of this time and age.
The goal of Anarchy it to separate likeminded Stakeholders from agreement
The secondary objective of Integrated Operational Policing is to develop and strengthen the Partnership between Police and the Community Stakeholders that we serve.
Why: Why is Integrated Policing superior to other schemes? (Simmons Factor…transparency)
SIMPLE
Of all the people I’ve met in my life, Randy Simmons was the best Team mate I’ve ever had. On a football field or on the Job, in the field of battle, there was no one that better at pulling things together that Randy. He had that special something. The “IT-Factor” which made everything better.
The success of any Team is dependent on many factors, but it the Team Member that is determined to be the Factor for Change and Success that brings things together for the common good. I call this the Simmons Factor … those unique individuals that have developed that catalytic ability to move the whole team forward. In the book, “Tribal Leadership”, Dave Logan, describes those people with the Simmons Factor as having experienced an epiphany that helped them overcome the John Wayne Syndrome and become effective leaders.
Integrated Operational Policing develops the, “Simmons Factor” in Stakeholders. Whether it be Peace Officers, Community Activists, Politicians, or would-be Offenders …
The Integrated Operational Policing model revolves around the percept of building substantive Triadic Communication between the many Stakeholders.
Creating a methodology where all Stakeholders have a voice and hear opposing opinions.
Through Triadic Communications ALL Stakeholders assist in defining important Community Values, set tangible Community Goals, and they ALL acknowledge their personal culpability in decision-making.
No more hiding in the shadows as crime increases. No more Monday morning quarterbacking the next YouTube video.
The “Simmons Factor” is the acknowledgement that all Stakeholders have to be the change.
When: When should an Integrated Policing scheme be implemented?
Citizens have the constitutional right to seek the redress of grievances at all stages of government action. Law Enforcement has (stupidly) addressed complaints in a “reactive mode”.
Integrated Operational Policing is a proactive mode of resolving issues.
Grant’s Preemption is the modality of affirmatively seeking the input of Community Stakeholders to solve our Collective Problems.
Field Personnel dialoging with the Community Members that we see every day.
More animosity has been created in the wake of police action. There is NOTHING pretty about law enforcement, the reality of field work is often ugly.
This isn’t Law and Order where no one ever gets hurt and every Use of Force is successful. Policing is inherently ugly.
Integrated Operational Policing sets for Grant’s Preemption as an affirmative methodology for pre-critical incident involvement of Community Stakeholder. Early and often Triadic Communication … solicited by the Police Agency … will create an environment of cooperation that has not been seen in the last half century.
Where: Should the Operational Planning occur? (At a police facility…no more mysterious planning! Transparency!!!!)
Being labeled a “snitch” is street terrorism … plain and simple. Thugs have convinced the community that talking to those sworn to Protect and Serve them will cause them harm.
As Peace Officers, it is our duty to create a new narrative. In like manner, the community needs to be emboldened to claim their own community. The criminals and politicians cannot become between the community that has the problem and the solution.
Transparency requires that the Triadic Communications and Action Planning occur in the safe environment of Police facilities. Community Rooms, Conference Rooms, FOS Simulators, Captains offices … wherever … need to be the home of the on-going dialogue.
The community must become comfortable in all of their contact with the Peace Officers in their community and Peace Officers need to be reminded of whom we serve.
Make no mistake … we don’t serve criminals. They are the problem. For all too long, the adversarial relationship that is between Cops and Robbers has been imputed the relationship between Cops and the Community.
Integrated Operational Policing destroys the divisive approach of Mysterious Police Planning. False methods like predictive policing, intelligence-based policing, and CompStat are the nightmares of the Old Paradigm.
Integrated Operational Policing necessarily involves the Community Stakeholders in Action Planning. As a Team, the Peace Officers and Community Members will stand on a better footing … and better prepared to deal with this new Era of Anarchy.
THE HISTORY of the COMMUNITY-BASED PARTNERSHIP
Integrated Operational Policing is the best method of establishing the Peace Officer/Local Citizen Partnership necessary in this new millennial society. As a community based methodology of Police Operations and Management, it’s the Stakeholders involvement in Preemptive Decision-Making that must be a major factor and emphasis in directing law and order.
Not once in American History has there been a time that crime was solved without the Officer-Citizen partnership.
Not once!
In the post-Revolutionary period, it was the Local Sheriff’s and Federal Marshall’s that interpreted local mores and law to keep the peace.
Those local lawmen were the first to practice what we now call “Adaptive Leadership” … responding to crime and community concerns as they arose.
On October 22, 1791 Sheriff Cornelius Hogeboom, of Columbia County, New York, became the first known Peace Officer in American History to be ‘Killed in the Line of Duty, while serving an Order of Ejectment … an Eviction.
Operational Law Enforcement has always been a Local Policing Partnership … Between the local Community and their local Police Agency.
In 1835, to address the murder rate and increase in property theft, Texans appointed the Texas Rangers as the oldest statewide police agency. The major property theft at the time was fastest conveyance of land … a horse. Before there was Grand Theft Auto … there was a Grand Theft Black Caspian Stallion named Bey. Imagine the broadcast of the Ranger Stephen F. Austin on his first would-be G-Ride while following cattle rustlers … “We’ll head ‘em off at the pass”.
Again, Operational Law Enforcement is always between Local Policing Partners
In the fall of 1881, the kinship and hatred between the field cop and street gangsters was famously illustrated in Tombstone, Arizona. It’s difficult for the civilized world to understand the Holy Calling of an Operational Peace Officer. It’s an oath of honor sworn before God by every child that played Cops and Robbers. Doc and the Earp Brothers, like our modern day Gang Enforcement or Crime Suppression Units, they earnestly believed that they wore the white hats and the Cowboy Gang preys on society.
Throughout American History, Law Enforcement has always been at its best when partnered with the Community.
Today, we are faced with groups committed to chaos like Sovereign Citizens, the Occupy Movement, Anarchy, Black Lives Matter, and Anonymous.
In this Age of Anarchy, I’ve been reminded for the past few years that I’m a Professional Citizen.
Peace Officers are merely a cross section of this American Society as citizens who are acting on the behalf of our own communities. We have received a Holy Calling to be Professional Citizens.
Police Community: I’ve been deployed to virtually every Black Lives Matters protest in Los Angeles since the inception of BLM. As a Black Police Sergeant, it was presumed that I might garner a certain amount of deference that my law enforcement counter-parts may not, AND I’m cool with that because I recognize the power of the Team.
Black Community: Similarly, I’ve enjoyed a beautiful Young Black Girl who regularly calls me a “Sellout” “House Slave” and my all-time favorite “Porch Nigger” to please her protestant mother. In like manner, I’m still cool with that too because I’m proud to protect the citizens constitutional right to protest the government, not matter how misguided their message.
I’m the product of the Police and Black Communities … and I’m cool with that because it is My Holy Calling to provide redress to the grievance of local communities. There is a uniquely spiritual and cathartic stirring in knowing that we are merely local citizens, from the community, protecting and serving these communities.
THE CONCLUSION
In this Era of Anarchy, we will solve Policing Issues together or fail while apart. It’s a simple choice.
The Police and the Community. We will define our values, set goals, and redress the community needs, or…
We will languish in hate, rhetoric, and community dissention. It’s a simple choice. Integrated Policing is about Stakeholder Team-Building and the development of Actionable, Operational Plans that positively affect the community.
I choose Team Building with the community. iOP’s is the Stakeholder’s the necessary method of bridging the Police-Community gap. Together We Do It (we get it done)