Shameless Bragging, or was this a slow news week . . .

Back in 2012, when Trayvon Martin was shot by an auxiliary officer in Florida, we (FDLE Curriculum Staff) were in the process of updating the auxiliary law enforcement officer program to mirror the appropriate sections of the basic law enforcement program. There was nothing we could at the time to change the training, so we brainstormed what we could do with the next versions of the training programs to address social injustice. Frankly, if nothing came from the field, we weren’t going to do anything. However, across Florida, training center directors, instructors, and commanding officers began drafting white papers to bring officer-involved shootings to the forefront of conversations within the Commission.

We put together a Community Safety Workgroup from across Florida in 2015 and by 2017 published Strengthening the Bonds of Trust between Law Enforcement and the Public. Four years and many hurricanes, workshops, and meetings later, we rolled out the results of this effort July 1, 2021 –last week. Hard to believe how long it has taken us. This new program, on the surface, does not look that different (remember, change can be painful); however, we threaded the following pillars and action items throughout the textbook and instructor guide:

 Pillars:

  • Fairness and consistency of rule application
  • Voice and representation in the process
  • Transparency and openness of the process
  • Impartiality and unbiased decision-making

Actions:

  • 1. Treat people with respect.
  • 2. Listen to what they have to say.
  • 3. Make fair decisions.
  • 4. Explain your actions.

When the pandemic hit, we were at the tail end of the project and shifted all our work with SMEs, editors, and publishing to online. When George Floyd died, we all felt like we hadn’t done enough.


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