Sustainability and Ongoing Successes in the Smart Policing Initiative
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www.smartpolicinginitiative.com SMART POLICING INITIATIVE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. XX SUMMER 2016 Sustainability and Ongoing Successes in the Smart Policing Initiative The Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) welcomed the seventh cohort of sites to our community of practice during our Phase VII National Meeting in June 2016. Looking back on what SPI has accomplished, we focus this issue on the organizational impacts, positive outcomes, and sustainability successes of our SPI sites. Since sustainability is a key principle of SPI, sites are encouraged to INSIDE... develop plans for sustainability at the beginning of their program Page 1 implementation. So, as you read the updates and about the sustainability initiatives from our SPI sites, we invite you to consider how sustainability ONGOING SUCCESS STORIES th principles can inform the development of programs and policies in your agency! Our 20 issue of the SPI Newsletter will focus on updates and sustainability in the smart Update on Portland Community Engagement policing community of practice. The Portland, Oregon, SPI focuses on community engagement through use of Pages 2–3 Neighborhood Involvement Location (NILoc) teams. Below is a photo from a SPI NATIONAL MEETING recent event that allowed neighborhood children to meet K9 Jingo along with Read about the Phase VII Portland Police Bureau Officers Mendoza, Ortiz, and Butcher. National Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. Page 3 SPI SME SPOTLIGHT Read about SPI Subject Matter Expert, John Skinner. Pages 4–6 SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHTS: GLENDALE, AZ and SHAWNEE, KS Learn about the Glendale and Shawnee SPIs’ sustained successes. Pages 6–7 VIEWS FROM THE FRONTLINES Learn about the Boston SPI’s About Us changes in homicide investigations practices. SPI is a collaborative effort among the Bureau of Justice Assistance, CNA, state and local law enforcement agencies, and researchers. It is designed to assist Page 7 agencies with identifying innovative and evidence-based solutions to effectively RECENT ACTIVITIES and efficiently tackle chronic crime problems in their jurisdictions. Page 8 As always, feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with us at READER’S CORNER [email protected]. Learn about the history of You can sign up for the SPI mailing list online at: http://bit.ly/1M6qLhP. reform movements in policing. This project was supported by Grant No. 2013-DP-BX-K006, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Page 1 www.smartpolicinginitiative.com SMART POLICING INITIATIVE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. XX SUMMER 2016 Photos from the SPI Phase VII National Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona Assistant Chief Kurtenbach discussed his agency’s Smart Policing Initiative Phase VII challenges, the importance of strong community National Meeting relations, and his personal experiences from the field By Kamya Raja (SPI Analyst) when transitioning to the new technology. SPI welcomed the seventh cohort of sites to our Another presentation from the first day was community of practice during our Phase VII National “Sustainability Practices in SPI.” ASU’s Dr. Michael Meeting. The sites convened June 15–16 in downtown White presented about the Glendale, Arizona, Smart Phoenix, Arizona. Hosted by Arizona State University Policing Initiative. Dr. White described how his team (ASU), the meeting brought together our six newest SPI used problem-oriented policing (POP) and the sites, including the Phoenix, Arizona, Police Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment (SARA) Department, Shoreline, Washington, Police model to emphasize sustainable recommendations Department, Pinellas County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, during the early phases of research and project Miami Beach, Florida, Police Department, Milwaukee, implementation. Results show that 2.5 years after Wisconsin, Police Department, and Roanoke County, project completion, crime reduction in the immediate Virginia, Police Department. Site representatives were and surrounding areas was not only sustained but accompanied by their assigned CNA subject matter continued to decline. experts (SMEs) and respective research partners: ASU, In addition to speaker presentations, attendees George Mason University, the Urban Institute, and the participated in panel discussions and roundtable University of South Florida. sessions, which were interspersed with time for peer-to- Assistant Chief Michael Kurtenbach of the Phoenix peer networking. Each site (including the research Police Department (PD) kicked off the meeting with a partners) had the opportunity to present its SPI project dynamic keynote address. Touching on the Phoenix and share news about its progress, challenges, and PD’s experience implementing body-worn cameras, successes in planning and implementation to date. For This project was supported by Grant No. 2013-DP-BX-K006, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Page 2 www.smartpolicinginitiative.com SMART POLICING INITIATIVE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. XX SUMMER 2016 information on each site, visit the Smart Policing The dynamic sessions described above, coupled with Initiative website. additional networking and breakout opportunities for The second day of the national meeting opened with a the researcher partners and practitioners, set a new compelling Police-Community Collaboration Panel, precedent for peer-to-peer networking at SPI meetings. hosted by Senior SME Hildy Saizow. Ms. Saizow We encourage our sites to continue engaging with peer introduced local community collaborators Shawn partners as they progress through their SPI initiatives. Pearson and Franz Beasley to speak about their close relationships with the Phoenix Police Department and SPI SME SPOTLIGHT the advantages brought to their communities through John Skinner their collaborations. Working with faith-based community groups, Mr. Pearson engages church Mr. John P. Skinner is the former members to improve coordination between community Deputy Police Commissioner and a members and police initiatives. Mr. Beasley is President 21-year veteran of the Baltimore, and Co-founder of Arizona Common Ground, an Maryland, Police Department. As organization dedicated to support and mentor Deputy Commissioner, he was responsible for the day- previously incarcerated youth and adults to become to-day management of the Operations Bureau, which servant leaders within Maricopa County. After spending included criminal investigations and tactical and patrol fourteen-and-a-half of his adult years incarcerated, he operations. During his tenure, Deputy Commissioner returned to his community to improve prisoner re- Skinner implemented operational crime-reduction entry. Both presenters noted that the relationships they strategies that led to a historic 30-year low in homicides have developed with the Phoenix Police Department and nonfatal shootings. and its officers have been critical to the ongoing success Prior to his assignment as Deputy Commissioner, Mr. of police-community collaboration in Phoenix. Skinner oversaw the Administrative Bureau. He also Unique to this year’s meeting were the two distinct served in multiple investigative and patrol-related project types. Three sites are working on body-worn positions, including Commanding Officer of the camera implementation programs, while another three Western and Central Districts, which encompass are focused on police response to calls involving mental Baltimore’s downtown and Inner Harbor areas. In health crises. The sites engaged in productive 2008, he was appointed Chief of the Patrol Division. In discussions about Smart Technology and Mental addition, he served as the department’s Chief Health. By talking with peers working in similar areas, Intelligence Officer and was instrumental in the post- site participants were able to share challenges and give 9/11 planning of the city’s security infrastructure and feedback from varying experiences and project stages. establishment of a state-of-the-art crime watch center. The final speakers on Day 2 were Major Joseph McHale Mr. Skinner was named Police Officer of the Year in from the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department and 2010 by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In Chief William Taylor of the Lowell, Massachusetts, 2009, he was recognized by the U.S. Department of Police Department. Both speakers discussed the Justice for the development of the Patrol Response continuing successes of their respective SPI sites. Major Survey, an evaluation program that measures a McHale spoke about Kansas City’s “No Violence community’s perception of police performance. He was Alliance” as well as its joint use of focused deterrence also named “Baltimorean of