Reimagining Public Safety and Law Enforcement—Action Agenda

The Police Justice and Accountability Task Force of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century presents Reimagining Public Safety & Law Enforcement — Action Agenda, a framework developed through convenings of law enforcement professionals, scholars, advocates, and community leaders working to advance accountability and community-centered approaches to public safety.

Background

Ending the War on Drugs and racially discriminatory criminal “injustice” system policies, including police brutality and misconduct, has been a major programmatic and policy priority for IBW for decades. Under the auspices of the Drug Policy and Criminal Justice Reform Initiative (DPI), IBW formed community-based Justice Collaboratives in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and a Police Justice and Accountability Task Force to conduct the work in the cities noted above and nationally. As local, state and national efforts increasingly achieved success in dismantling the War on Drugs through the decriminalization or regulation of drugs, the persistence of over policing of Black communities and chronic misconduct, brutality and murders continued to be a painful and traumatic reality. This was highlighted by the public police lynching of George Floyd.

In January of 2022, under the leadership of IBW Board Member and former Police Officer Ronald Hampton, IBW’s Police Justice and Accountability Task Force launched an Initiative to Reimagine Public Safety and Law Enforcement with the objective of reducing the footprint of the police in Black communities and to devise new community initiated and controlled paradigms to achieve public safety.

Consistent with IBW’s mission of cultivating a culture of collaboration to heal and empower Black families, communities and nations, current and retired Police Chiefs/Commissioners, current and former Police and Corrections Officers, drug and criminal justice advocates and scholars were identified and invited to participate in a series of symposia to explore how best to operationalize the concept of reimagining public safety and law enforcement.

The first symposium was convened as a virtual gathering in January of 2022. It was a powerful session marked by substantive and a moving exchange of perspectives on the challenges and opportunities presented by the objective as stated. The epidemic of gun violence, fratricide/murders in Black communities surfaced as a chronic issue which should be addressed as a public health issue – which is integrally related to issues of public safety and law enforcement. Dr. Ron Daniels introduced the idea of this unique assembly of leaders forming a Police Justice and Accountability Resource Network and a Police Justice and Accountability Commission as collaborative structures charged with consistently working to achieve the objective of reimagining public safety and law enforcement in Black Communities.

The Virtual Symposium was followed by an in-person gathering in Baltimore in May of 2022. It was an amazing convening, filled with testimonies of lived experiences within the “criminal punishment” and “injustice system” and the sharing of ideas on theories and methods for dramatically reducing the footprint of police in Black communities. There was keen interest in defining the work of the Resource Network and Commission as proposed by IBW. Equally important, there was a firm commitment by the participants to continue this unique collaborative undertaking and process.

Due to a lack of funding and limited capacity, the follow-up to the May Symposium was uneven. However, periodic virtual sessions in 2023 coupled with constant personal outreach by Ronald Hampton with a core group of leaders who were invited to be part of the Resource Network maintained interest in the mission and objective of the initiative. The outstanding individual work by Ronald Hampton laid the ground for the milestone Retreat in November 13-15 in Baltimore from which this Action Agenda was developed.

Women leaders at the Reimagining Public Safety and Law Enforcement Convening 2022.

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The Retreat

Participants at the Retreat were informed from the outset that the major goals of the gathering would be to establish a Police Justice and Accountability Commission and to formalize the Police Justice and Accountability Network of Resource Persons as discussed in previous virtual and in-person Symposia. After in-depth deliberations and sharing of suggestions/recommendations on various dimensions of the goals, there was affirmation of the recommendations presented by the Facilitator Dr. Ron Daniels with the concurrence of Ronald Hampton, Convener of the Task Force to move forward as follows:

Action Items

I. Establish the Police Justice and Accountability Commission

• To serve as a Think Tank to conduct research on local, state and federal policing policies and practices.
• Analyze and release reports on policing initiatives of vital concern to Black communities.
• Identify best practices for community control of the police and reimagining law enforcement and public safety.
• Conduct public education and awareness campaigns.

Provide technical assistance and support to cities, counties and states seeking to institute new models of policing to impact Black communities and evaluate the same.

II. Formalize the Police Justice and Accountability Network

To invite and confirm Resource Persons to serve as a support mechanism for the Commission and the implementation of the Action Agenda of the Police Justice and Accountability Task Force and Commission.

III. Narrative-Building and Healing

In a very moving and informative discussion, participants shared the power and impact of stories, lived experiences and history as tools to advance the work of dismantling the current oppressive policing systems. For example, a new generation of courageous advocates for restructuring and/or the abolition of the criminal injustice and punishment system have little knowledge or awareness of the courageous Police Officers, Police Commissioners and Corrections Officers and Officials from the era of Black Power whose commitment to protecting Black communities from harm gave rise to the formation of socially conscious organizations like the National Black Police Association (NBPA), Black Cops Against Police Brutality (BCAPB), Grand Council of the Guardians and the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ). In fact, some of the organizers and advocates from this generation refuse to work with current or former Black police officers. This disconnect is potentially detrimental to creating collaborations to achieve transformative changes in the systems that all agree are oppressing Black communities.

Another example was the ways in which the work of Dr. Terry Watson in capturing and telling the history of socially conscious Black policing is having a positive impact on some of this generation’s police and corrections officers working for change Inside the system. The following action items were derived from this rich discussion:

1. Ronald Hampton will record an educational video sharing the background, history and accomplishments of socially conscious law enforcement organizations like the National Black Police Association.
2. The Task Force will also arrange for the recording of an educational profile of former Police Commissioner Clarence Edwards and other socially conscious pioneers in law enforcement and corrections. The purpose is to document their efforts to advance community-based policing policies and practices to protect Black communities from oppressive over-policing.
3. The Task Force will reach out to Black Lives Matter Grassroots (BLM), Movement for Black Lives (M4BLS) and other formations that may be skeptical about working with socially conscious Black law enforcement leaders, organizations and associations in hopes of initiating a cross-generational, educational dialogue to breach and heal this divide.
4. The Task Force will explore ways to support Dr. Terry Watson’s Narrative Building Project as an effective method of supporting socially conscious Police Officers working to effect change from the inside of police departments and corrections facilities.
5. Continue to develop the Police Justice and Accountability Online Resource Center on the IBW website as a source of information on a range of subjects related to reimagining law enforcement and public safety that is accessible to advocates, scholars, police and corrections departments and community people.

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IV. More Police Does Not Equal Public Safety

Debunking the myth that the only or most effective method of reducing violence and crime in Black communities is by a heavy footprint of cops is a major goal of the Task Force. Evan Douglas, a former Police Officer and member of the Police Justice and Accountability Resource Network, conducted a major study which definitively achieved this objective. Evan’s brilliantly narrated and illustrated study shows dramatically reduced rates of violence and crime in several major cities across the nation that have adopted innovative, community-centered approaches to public safety that do not require more cops. The empirical data in Evan’s study is a powerful tool which must be widely shared to equip community advocates and public officials who are educating and organizing to reduce the footprint of police in Black communities to defend themselves against attacks by forces lobbying for major increases in the police force in cities with large Black populations. To that end the Task Force is committed to assisting Evan to share his study with civil rights legacy organizations and advocates for police accountability across the nation and securing widespread coverage by various mainstream and alternative news outlets.

V. Supporting Police and Corrections Officers Inside the System

On the road to abolishing the current harmful systems of law enforcement, including the oppressive policies and practices of numerous police departments, it is important to have socially conscious and change-oriented police officers on the inside advocating for “reforms.” The Task force is committed to supporting two initiatives to achieve this goal.

1. A number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have established programs to recruit and train police candidates for service in police departments across the country. The Task Force is concerned that these candidates receive accurate information about the potentially harmful impacts of the “blue police culture” on Black communities. Therefore, under the leadership of former Police Officer and Adjunct Professor Sonia Pruitt, the Task Force will seek to connect with HBCUs to ensure that the curriculum for prospective Police Officers includes content on the background and history of oppressive policing of Black communities.
2. The Task Force will support Dr. Terry Watson’s program which seeks to identify socially conscious Police Officers who are working on the inside of police departments in order to offer various forms of assistance, including counseling for what can be traumatic experiences coping with the “blue culture” as well as connecting right thinking and acting Officers to their counterparts in departments across the country as well as with socially conscious police associations and current and former Police Officers. In addition, the Task Force will collaborate with Dr. Watson to explore the feasibility of creating a network of socially conscious Police Officers currently employed by police departments around the country.

Dr. Ron Daniels, Ron Hampton, Tyrone Parker and Charles Billups; Reimagining Public Safety and Law Enforcement Convening 2025.

VI. Enlisting Black Professional Organizations as Healers

During the Retreat and previous gatherings of the Task Force and Network, the issue of counseling/healing support for Black Police and corrections Officials suffering stress and trauma in hostile work environments was raised as a matter that urgently needs to be addressed. There is also a need for counselors/healers to attend various meetings and consultations of the Commission or Network. Accordingly, the Task Force will reach out to socially conscious Black professional organizations like the Black Psychiatrists of America (BPA), the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPSY) and the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) to request that they designate representatives to be Resource Persons for the Network.

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VII. Expanding the People’s Police Academy Model

There was consensus that the People’s Police Academy Project, as presented by its founder Dr. Divine Pryor, is a community-driven model which can be utilized to achieve community control of law enforcement in Black communities. There should be more public education and awareness of this innovative approach. Accordingly, the Task Force via the Network will collaborate with Dr. Pryor to promote the People’s Police Academy in communities across the country with the goal of having it become a national model.

VIII. Priority Collaborations

Consistent with IBW’s goal of promoting collaboration and joint work to empower Black families and communities, the Task Force is committed to exploring two important collaborative Initiatives as follows:

1. Reaching out to the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) and other progressive Black immigration organizations to benefit from their analysis of the impact of ICE raids and other authoritarian-type tactics on Black and Brown communities and receive recommendations on ways for the Task Force to support strategies for resistance and transformation.
2. There was a concern registered regarding the need for constructive collaboration between Violence Interrupters and socially conscious Police Associations, particularly as it relates to the goal of dramatically reducing the number of guns in Black communities. Convincing individuals with guns to turn them in requires building relationships and establishing trust. Therefore, it can be helpful if the involvement of official policing authorities in gun retrieval programs is minimized. An effective collaboration between socially conscious Police Associations and Violence Interrupters can achieve the objective of reducing the number of guns in Black communities. Facilitating such collaborations across the country is a priority of the Task Force beginning with the efforts of the Grand Council of the Guardians and organizations like Man-Up, Inc., Life Camp and similar organizations in New York, NY.

IX. Washington, DC Projects and Initiatives

Because of the history of work by IBW’s Justice Collaborative on ending the War on Drugs and reducing gun violence and fratricide/murders in Washington, D.C., the Task Force is committed to at least three initiatives in the nation’s Capital:

1. Amplifying and supporting the programmatic work of the Safe Communities Initiative and its Call Center and Hotline under the leadership of its Founder and Director Ricky Bryant.
2. Facilitating the convening of a Summit of DC organizations and leaders committed to resisting ICE raids, National Guard occupation and dismantling DC’s oppressive policing systems and policies. The goal is to encourage intentional collaboration and joint work among organizations and leaders to increase their collective effectiveness.
3. Work to secure the human and material resources to identify a neighborhood in Washington, DC to create a model for reimagining public safety and law enforcement in partnership with the Alliance of Concerned Men, Reentry Network for Returning Citizens, DC Justice Lab and the permission and collaboration of community-based leaders and organizations in the designated neighborhood.

X. Planning and Implementation

With the Support of IBW President Dr. Ron Daniels and Board Member Ronald Hampton, the Police Justice and Accountability Task Force is charged with convening bi-monthly virtual meetings of the Police Justice and Accountability Network to review the progress on all items on the Action Agenda and make revisions as necessary. IBW also commits to at least one in-person meeting of the Network a year beginning in 2026.

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Dr. Taiwan Lovelace, Dr. Terry Watson, Sonia Pruitt and Nathaniel Evans; Reimagining Public Safety and Law Enforcement Convening 2025.

From Agenda to Action

The Police Justice and Accountability Task Force of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century advances this Action Agenda as part of an ongoing commitment to reimagining public safety and establishing a commission and network to support local communities seeking technical assistance.

Resource Persons