Policing2Peace: Public Safety Reimagined

In the US, the problem of community dissatisfaction with the police is pervasive.  After the George Floyd murder, unquestionable demand for police reform developed. Within communities and around the country, calls of defund the police exist alongside calls to transform them. What these narratives are really expressing is the desire for significant police cultural change to occur.  Right now, in the absence of a solution, what exists is the pervasive atmosphere of tension,  animosity, frustration, and unmet expectations on both fronts.   What is missing is the recognition that sustainable, authentic culture change needs to occur institution-wide in American policing.  To do this will require both buy-in from the police and buy-in from the community, which no other solution offers.  The localized nature of policing exacerbates the problem with more than 18,000 police agencies.  Some solutions target single agencies but not American policing as a whole.  With hopes for national police reform legislation dashed, the window of excitement closing, politics is moving on to the next issue, police reform efforts are withering and the status quo is continuing on like nothing happened.  And if we don't get the police on board, we might as well just throw this whole movement away. 

Policing2Peace solves the problem of community dissatisfaction with police by delivering nationally scalable, authentic, sustainable police reform which both police and communities can accept.  It does this by bringing the parties together to create “Peace Officers” out of police forces with strong community engagement using moderated sessions which tap the community's wisdom for how they want to be policed. It delivers training for police, and facilitated community conversations for reimagining policing. This solution meets communities' needs by changing police culture to peace and meets police's needs because a term for them is already Peace Officer so it is reform they can accept.  Taxpayer settlements for police misconduct cost millions each year.  Partners Police2Peace and National Association Women Law Enforcement Executives have developed this solution rooted in NAWLEE ideals and principles evidenced by female police officers having high favorability ratings from victims because they are skilled at problem solving and compassionate.

Policing2Peace has been piloted and validated through research. In addition to the high profile use cases in progress in Pasquotank County, NC, the site of the police-involved killing of Andrew Brown Jr., and Portland, OR where, after a huge spike in violence following a year of protests the community and police are engaging more effectively as a result of the solution described in this proposal, the partner organizations in the solution Police2Peace and NAWLEE together have a history of delivering established services around the nation.  These services include research, helping police agencies advance ideals and principles, conducting training for police in these ideals, and conducting community-police engagement sessions which help communities and police engage more effectively, help set expectations between police and community and help police appreciate the unintended consequences of their actions.  These services of the partner organizations are poised for further growth by offering the combined solution.