First in Kansas to Achieve Peace Officer Agency Certification
Today the Parsons (KS) Police Department announced received national certification from the Police2Peace organization as the 1st Kansas Law Enforcement Agency to complete the Peace Officer Agency Certification process.
"This process entailed agency wide training that was federally funded, and a list of progressive steps by the agency to refocus our community policing efforts," said Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks. "Fortunately, our agency has been engaged in many of the key requirements of the Police2Peace process as a normal part of our evolving agency work over the past half-decade. Our staff was not surprised by some new program since we really only polished the core philosophy of our operation to achieve this certification."
"Communities today are looking for the heart behind the badge. Chief Spinks and the Parsons Police Department are showing their commitment to that, and as a result represent the best of policing today," says Lisa Broderick, Executive Director Police2Peace.
Police2Peace is a national nonprofit with a diverse team and board members from the national community and from the policing profession that works across the nation from small departments to large agencies.
The mission of Police2Peace is to unite police departments and communities around programs that uplift and heal them. The vision is to redefine and reimagine policing on a national scale so that it is empathetic, effective, and just with police officers serving their communities as Peace Officers.
Police2Peace has a goal is to transform 1/3 of the nation's 18,000 police and sheriff's departments serving 100 million Americans to Peace Officer in five years.
"The Police2Peace program is a reaffirmation of our agency's commitment to enhancing the community's trust and confidence in the department while controlling crime," said Parsons Deputy Chief of Police Dennis Dodd.
A community listening session was also moderated on Tuesday, July 30th by the Police2Peace staff, which provided an opportunity for community members to ask questions and receive answers on policing in Parsons along with the philosophy of Police2Peace as a way for police staff to deliver services to the community.
During the training that Police2Peace provided to all police staff with additional specialized training for the police management staff, a specific presentation was made to the Parsons City Commissioners, City Attorney and City Manager Debbie Lamb on Wednesday, July 31st.
Police2Peace also developed and administered a community survey that will be used by other agencies across the United States to serve as a uniform feedback measure. The results of the Parsons Survey which will be conducted annually without charge to the City.
We are launching national police reform through police culture change because the public is demanding a less aggressive approach to public safety, and community dissatisfaction with the police is high. Over the last 4 years, having grown the idea from introducing PEACE OFFICER wording into police agencies and communities, we launched The Peace Officer Promise in May 2022 and will release the companion online training curriculum in June 2022.
"We believe that Police2Peace will be a long-term association with our agency," said Spinks, "They are scaling the delivery of programs around the nation that transform departments into peace officer departments with peace officer curriculum and technical assistance to operationalize the change. I hope that this will over time bring our agency closer together with our community through community-based programs for better engagement, police-based programs for training such as de-escalation, and peace initiatives which unite stakeholders."
The Police2Peace process is not a one-time training event, it is an on-going process to evolve the Parsons Police Department moving forward through the years. So far, the Parsons Police Department completed the following measurable goals to achieve their Peace Officer Agency Certification by Police2Peace:
Police2Peace Checklist for Parsons PD
- 80% of the police staff have completed Police2Peace training, (currently 88% have completed the training with 100% by October).
- The agency utilizes advisory Groups: Public Safety Advisory Board.
- Conducted Community Listening Session(s).
- Conducted a community wide survey that was developed and analyzed by Police2Peace, the results are pending and will be shared with the community. This was done without cost to the city.
- An Internal Agency Audit resulted in the following steps:
- The city ordinance updated the establishment of the police department (last done with an 1877 ordinance), which embodies the Police2Peace concept of Effective Empathic and Just policing.
- Peace Officer patches on police outer vests.
- Peace Officer marking on SRO and Police polo shirts.
- Review of job descriptions to revise job titles to include 'peace officer' verse public safety officer.
- Re-branding on policing literature with 'peace officer.'
- Inclusion of the Police2Peace community policing curriculum as part of new employee orientation training.
- Inclusion of the Police2Peace curriculum during annual in-service training to reinforce this as a positive agency culture.
- Public Announcement (newspaper insert, tv interviews) on the adoption of the Police2Peace philosophy.
- Adding a new web page on Police2Peace.
- Engage in transparent policing operations such as using press releases, community alerts and email/text alerts, etc.
- Employ social media to enhance community outreach (Facebook, X and NextDoor.com).
- Audit internal agency culture, policies, and procedures.
- Participation in community events (LCC Orientation & job fair, k-12 SRO's, Coffee with a Cop, Katy Days, created a Police Charity Golf Tournament, hold annual Crime Prevention Fair and other events).
- Police Staff takes the Peace Officer Promise Oath (scheduled for Crime Prevention Month in October during National Crime Prevention Month).
Additional information is available at: www.police2peace.org.
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