THE INITIATIVE Partners with Police Chiefs & Community Based Organizations to Launch Groundbreaking Community Policing Technology
CENTRAL™ is a new tool that measures the effectiveness of community-oriented policing to build trust between communities and police forces
POTOMAC, Md., Jan. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- THE INITIATIVE: Advancing the Blue and Black Partnership ("THE INITIATIVE"), an organization devoted to systemic change, has partnered with progressive Police Chiefs and Community Based Organizations to launch "CENTRAL," a new technology platform designed to give police agencies the ability to use data and analytics to track the effectiveness of their community policing efforts. CENTRAL is designed to foster trust between police forces and the communities they serve.
The CENTRAL™ tool, which was developed in partnership with Kaizen Analytix and made possible by funding from Lumina Foundation, Microsoft, G6 Hospitality, Kuehne + Nagel Inc. and CAVA, began testing its proof of concept in October 2020 with police chiefs in Fairburn, Georgia and Takoma Park, MD. CENTRAL™ is the only tool that provides police agencies with a scorecard to track adherence to the principal tenets of effective Community Policing practices: organizational development, officer training, and community engagement. The tool also provides participating agencies with the ability to track and measure Community Policing outcomes against key public safety metrics such as violent crime, property crime, and use of force statistics.
"THE INITIATIVE advocates for effective community-oriented policing because there is ample research to suggest that when communities and police agencies partner effectively, this reduces crime, increases civil justice, and results in healthier communities," said Nadine Jones, executive director, THE INITIATIVE. "But we know it is important to validate the efficacy of this approach with data that supports the efforts of the police agencies that subscribe to this approach. This is why we are so proud to partner with advisors, such as Chief Stoney Mathis, Chief Antonio DeVaul, and National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives NJ to pilot technology that has the promise of bringing greater transparency to policing outcomes and scaling effective Community Policing initiatives."
"I fully support community policing and the efforts of the Advancing the Blue and Black Partnership initiative. I believe 'CENTRAL', the new technology platform developed by the Advancing the Blue and Black Partnership initiative, will assist police departments across the country in advancing their community policing efforts and taking a holistic review of public safety reforms needed," said, Chief DeVaul for Takoma Park, MD.
The CENTRAL™ platform also helps police agencies to take a compliance-based approach to tracking, measuring and reinforcing training that is essential to improving the culture of police departments in areas such as implicit bias, de-escalation practices, active bystander scenarios, and procedural justice. As affirmed by the U.S. Sentencing Commission and the Department of Justice compliance programs are effective when practices and values are continuously reinforced in an organization using methods that include training, electronic communications, internal slogans and visuals. Indeed, through participation in CENTRAL™ and by engaging with THE INITIATIVE, police agencies will gain access to vetted, critical value-based learning that officers can take throughout the year. This will include training developed by organizations that have partnered with THE INITIATIVE: the NeuroLeadership Institute, which will provide science-based training focused on cultural transformation, and Polarity Partnerships that enables problem solving through both/and thinking to harness polarizing perspectives that allow for innovative solutions in the community-police relationship. Police and city leaders will have access to a comprehensive reporting and tracking training platform that was developed for THE INITIATIVE by the global corporate ethics and compliance platform leader, LRN.
"While the tenets of Community Policing–developing community partnerships, engaging in problem solving, and implementing community policing organizational features–date back to the 1970s, we didn't have the benefit of the power of 21stcentury data and analytics," said Chief Mathis, one of THE INITIATIVE's strategic advisors. "We believe that providing this kind of analytical power to police agencies and communities will accelerate the partnerships that are needed to build trust, reduce tensions, and promote the kind of environment change needed for systemic change."
Another key advisor to The Initiative, Jiles Ship, past NOBLE President and current President of NOBLE NJ, states, "There is no question that police agencies that incorporate community policing effectively, such that they can improve the level of trust with members of the community, will see increases in their solve rates and decreases in crime."
THE INITIATIVE plans to introduce CENTRAL™ to 100 police agencies during its pilot phase which will end March 2021. Agencies wishing to learn more or participate in the effort are encouraged to contact Nadine Jones at [email protected] or [email protected].
About THE INITIATIVE: Advancing the Blue and Black Partnership
THE INITIATIVE: Advancing the Blue and Black Partnership was founded by a group of Howard University Alumni and friends committed to healing the community-police relationship and building healthier communities. THE INITIATIVE identifies and funds programs that bring police and diverse communities together, intending to build productive relationships. THE INITIATIVE's approach involves partnering with stakeholders to evolve legal and institutional practices and implement scalable solutions that create systemic change in policing practices. Visit https://theblueandblackpartnership.org for more information.
Media Inquiries:
Kwame Romaine, Director of Operations
THE INITIATIVE: Advancing the Blue and Black Partnership
[email protected]
Tel: 240-462-8928
SOURCE The Initiative
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