It’s the Police!

What does the phrase “It’s the police” mean to you? Do you react with a sense of safety and security, or tension and worry? This is a divisive issue. If you read the following, I hope you will see that I don’t take sides. I do, however, want to recognize good community relations when I see them.

People working various communication channels can be pretty good at providing meaningful sound bites that help people take sides. Some phrases related to police activity lately are “Black Lives Matter,” and “I Can’t Breathe.” We also know what it means when people raise both hands.

Police across the country have a heightened security problem and a public relations problem. Just as it is so sad that people have died by the hands of police lethal force, it is also so sad that police are targeted and killed in retribution.

Free speech is a good thing. Peaceful protesting of injustice is a good thing. Unjust lethal force is bad. Rioting, looting, and targeting police for retribution are also bad. These statements are true. But, what do we do now?

I think I know at least one thing we can do. We can come together as partners. While the news about police and problems in some communities has been negative, there are communities where police and citizens are proactive with positive solutions. The ACU Police Department primarily serves a university community but it is responsible for serving a section of our whole city. As the university wraps up the school year, the Chief of Police at ACU writes to his partners about some important topics he wants to address. The following email was sent to these partners. As you read, you should notice that he is addressing 5,000 partners including faculty, staff, students, and neighborhood citizens. To shorten the email, I left out a segment on parking issues and leaving bikes on campus. The language was the same throughout the email, though, and I share it here with his permission.

The Chief writes:

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Dear ACU community,

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP THIS YEAR:
The semester has drawn to a close and the ACU Police Department (ACUPD) wants to thank everyone for their patience, flexibility, and compliance during a 2014-15 school year filled with significant construction and special event related parking related closures, detours, and directives.

SUMMER SAFETY :
If you are here this summer, please continue to partner with ACUPD in keeping the campus and neighborhoods safe. Remember that our campus becomes even more vulnerable to crime during summer breaks because we lose many of our 5,000 partners. If you stay this summer, stay alert and always call ACUPD when you see something suspicious.

CONGRATS TO GRADUATES:
And finally, if you are a graduating senior, please accept our congratulations and our thanks for entrusting ACUPD with the awesome responsibility of keeping you and the campus safe during your years at ACU. We work hard to provide the ACU community with 24/7 law enforcement services delivered by a dedicated and professional team of officers and staff. You have deserved it, your parents have expected it, and we hope we have delivered it.

Sincerely,
Chief of Police
ACU Police Department

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I’m okay with being considered a partner. And I sense a good degree of satisfaction on campus with safety and security. I don’t think anyone would claim perfection in the system, however, this community has a healthy degree of ethnic diversity and does very well to keep a positive relationship between police and citizens.

I wish police departments across the country could realistically speak about their community citizens and neighbors as partners for safety and security.

And, I thank you, ACU Chief, for partnering with your community.