One small thing that can go a huge ey for community policing- issue all officers department cell phones.
Seems tiny. But it can have a HUGE impact.
For obvious reasons cops never give their personal cell phones out- it can quickly get abused. So the only option is a business card with the department/dispatch number and have them relay a message- that's obviously slow and cumbersome.
With a department issued phone I could hand out a cell # where I could be reached quickly and easily. That goes a long toward building trust, and gives citizens the ability to talk to the specific officers they have a relationship with and trust. That lets you build community support, and you are much more likely to get reports and information that they wouldn't call into a blind line with.
Plus, you mandate it is used for all business on duty and can log all texts and calls between officers, for more transparency.
Small item, small cost, huge impact. As a patrol deputy I wasn't given an issue phone, when I started working domestic violence almost exclusively I got one and saw what a huge effect it had toward building trust.
Citizen review boards are great- as long as those sitting on them are properly trained. You can't just pop someone off the street and give them disciplinary action over a job they don't understand. That doesn't serve the public and will just see distrust among the department.
Ideally anyone on a review board would take the same basic police academy required of officers before sitting on it, so they have a working knowledge of the law, understand how the use of force laws and continuum work, understand how the weapons they will judge the use of work, etc. I would exempt them from the physical training and tests, no need for them to be running every day or pass a physical test- but would retire passing grades on all written or practical exams.
At a minimum do a scaled down version.
Also, the same background examination should be required for a review board as for officers.
Because if you can't demonstrate at least the same working knowledge of the law and procedures as those you judge, and show yourself to have at least as good a background, are you really qualified to second guess them?
A review board like that would be educated, have legitimacy with both citizens and officers, and would work very well.
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