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Why cops should love National Night Out

There is nothing more effective for building trust than personal, positive contacts between the police and those they protect and serve

National Night Out logo

It may be too late to execute a plan for National Night Out this year, but if your agency is participating, make it big. If your agency isn’t participating, you can still commit to community outreach.

Police agencies and individual officers need to be proactive in reminding their public of the efficiency, value and compassion that continues despite the heat and critique. Remembering that most Americans still trust and respect their police officers is critical to rebutting the sour narratives from politicians and critics who have led the country down the path to increased crime and division.

Mass media campaigns can help, but there is nothing more effective for building trust than personal, positive contacts between the police and those they protect and serve. Making individual connections between the citizen in blue and the citizen on the porch steps has a multiplier effect.

Here are some strategies that could bear fruit for better relationships:

Join and support existing work

Police departments are often reluctant to engage in any program they didn’t start or run. The risk of endorsing the total belief system of a group with a crime-fighting strategy that is helpful or at least meaningful can keep police leaders separated from those community efforts.

If the group is a political hot potato, distance might be prudent, but whenever someone is trying to do the right thing, a partnership or at least a listening ear can be a source of unity. There are many programs, walks and special events that don’t originate with the police but have admirable goals.

https://twitter.com/mht_nh_police/status/1420802342535012353

Be ready with information

There is undoubtedly enough equipment and tools to fill an officer’s pockets, but there should always be space for a business card, junior police badge, or a handout to be placed in the hands of a citizen. The transactional effort of giving, even if the receiver tosses it into the next available trash can, creates a sense of cooperation and connection.

https://www.facebook.com/amespolice/posts/4875083372504977

Plan ahead

Next year will be here soon enough for the next National Night Out, but there are other events that can help the police build community connections. Keep an eye out for opportunities for that personal interaction.

Budgeting for connection opportunities may mean handout materials, offering overtime for event attendance, and providing mini-grants for worthy causes that can brand the department as involved in community building.

https://twitter.com/MasonCityPD/status/1421114232729391108

Nothing new

Public relations and community policing are nothing new. What is fresh is the urgency of retaining support for the very basic function of preserving peace and reducing crime. No agency is immune from false perceptions of their work and purpose, which means seeking positive, personal interactions is an essential job for police leaders to line officers. Jumping on the National Night Out bandwagon is one of those opportunities.

NEXT: Not your average citizen’s academy

This article originally published on July 31, 2021, has been updated.

Joel Shults operates Street Smart Training and is the founder of the National Center for Police Advocacy. He retired as Chief of Police in Colorado. Over his 30-year career in uniformed law enforcement and criminal justice education, Joel served in a variety of roles: academy instructor, police chaplain, deputy coroner, investigator, community relations officer, college professor and police chief, among others. Shults earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri, with a graduate degree in Public Services Administration and a bachelor degree in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Central Missouri. In addition to service with the U.S. Army military police and CID, Shults has done observational studies with over 50 police agencies across the country. He has served on a number of advisory and advocacy boards, including the Colorado POST curriculum committee, as a subject matter expert.

His latest book The Badge and the Brain is available at www.joelshults.com.
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