Law Enforcement Policies
This Policies section highlights how law enforcement policy plays out in the real world, while also connecting you with best practices for drafting, updating and ensuring accountability with policies.
Albany Police Chief Marcia Harnden faced many challenges when she stepped into the role, including employee discipline, high-profile uses of force and staffing shortages
Our experts debate if an emphasis on traditional attire is misplaced given more critical challenges like severe understaffing
Attempts by the NYPD to reinstate stricter uniform and grooming standards has sparked a broader conversation about the role of appearance in law enforcement credibility
“When officers make mistakes in their career, 95% of the time it’s the fault of the department.”
Offering educational options versus punitive responses can make all the difference
By mining their own data, departments can pinpoint issues, save careers and better serve communities
Extra jobs are common among cops, but they can be risky in more ways than one. Leaders must consider the following liabilities if they want to avoid making the news
Court refused to dismiss county liability allegation that sheriff tacitly authorized pattern of unlawful bean bag deployment
How to mitigate the legitimate risks of viewing video evidence, including the risk of corrupting an officer’s memory
The new contract would also require officers to undergo a mental health screening before returning to work following a “critical incident”
46% also said videos of police use of deadly force should be made public immediately after it’s determined they won’t jeopardize an investigation
Under the new policy, officers would only be able to make pretextual stops if they are “acting upon articulable information”
Good communication in public safety agencies relies on understanding basic communication dynamics and building trust
Supervisor interaction and performance feedback is the glue between officers feeling valued and performing at or above standards
Updates on the latest body-worn camera legislation, funding, training and more
The proposed policy would bar such stops “unless officers are acting upon articulable information”
Effective policy development in public safety agencies requires understanding the leader’s relationship to policy
Agencies can capitalize on innovations to save money and repair fractured community relationships
The defense has argued that the officers didn’t intervene because they figured Chauvin, a police veteran, was using reasonable force
A mother begged police to help with her son, but a new state law meant officers couldn’t take her son to get help against his will, even though a judge ordered it
As Portland works towards implementing a body-worn camera program, important policy questions remain
A Monell claim against a police department was dismissed due to a lack of proven liability for the incident in question
What makes a police practice evidence-based?
However, police can still enforce these violations if another primary violation leads to a stop
Plaintiffs bringing a Monell claim against a municipality or department face a challenge of satisfying all the elements of such a claim
The department is the latest in the state to make this move in response to a California DOJ mandate requiring agencies to protect personal information
The “No Shave November” fundraiser was so successful that Sheriff Craig Webre changed the agency’s clean shaven policy
Deciding whether or when to unhandcuff a detained person can be a tricky matter
The move comes after claims that the reforms barred officers from performing certain actions in the interest of public safety, said State Rep. Monica Stonier
Critics worry the measure would inspire selective report writing, while police unions argued the change would create more accurate reports
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