By Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski
Green Bay Press Gazette
KEWAUNEE, Wis. — The actions of law enforcement are driven by two factors: Compliance with the law, and adherence to department policy. The actions of our law enforcement officers are reviewed and judged against these two criteria. While it is obvious that our law enforcement officers must themselves comply with the very laws they are sworn to uphold, the issue of policy adherence is not as well known throughout communities. In law enforcement, we have policies which dictate everything from how to dress, to the use of deadly force and everything in between.
The review and updating of current policies and the development of new policies consume a great deal of time, but are extremely important to maintain effective policies, which reflect the most current technologies and trends. While many of our policies are longstanding and have required little change, some have had to undergo revisions as new technologies have emerged or social trends have evolved.
One of the main considerations in this pillar is the oversight regarding policy violations. It is important for the community to know that while we internally review officers actions in regards to department policy there are times where we must remove ourselves from this process and request the review from an outside agency. This is done to guarantee an unbiased approach to the potential investigation and guarantee a just outcome for both the officer and the community.
Full Story: 21st century policing needs current technologies