Press Release  

Parsons Police Announces the Police2Peace Program with Community Forum

Parsons Police reaffirmed its commitment to community policing.

 

Parsons, KS, July 25, 2024:  Today Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks announced the agency's receipt of a federal grant to Police2Peace a national nonprofit organization that is operationalizing a framework of community policing rooted in the idea of police officers becoming peace officers.

     The Parsons Police Department will be receiving training for officers and support staff, supervisors and managers as well as having in-house trainers certified to continue the training. While this series of classes are being taught next week, Police2Peace will also facilitate a Community Forum on policing for Parsonians on Tuesday, July 30th starting at 6pm at the Parsons High School Theater located at 3030 Morton Street.

     The forum will be moderated by Police2Peace staff including Police Chief Jerald Monahan (ret). Chief Monahan has over four decades of service as an Arizona public safety official, currently serving as the Chief of Police for Yavapai College Police in Prescott. He has served in a Chief's position since 2005 with several agencies.

     Chief Monahan previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for End Violence Against Women International, including serving as the Board President. He also serves as a consultant and trainer for the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative and Family Violence Institute. He is the Advisory Board Chair of the National Center for the Prevention of Community Violence (NCPCV).

     Chief Monahan holds a Master of Science in Leadership and Crisis Preparedness and a Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Administration. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, 230th Session.

     Parsons residents are invited to a unique opportunity to learn more about their police department by attending the community open forum. This event will be moderated by Police2Peace.org. Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks and Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd and other Parsons Police staff will be in attendance as well.

     Citizens are also encouraged to take part in a community survey! In partnership with Police2Peace, the survey will gauge community perceptions. The survey can be taken on your phone, tablet, computer by scanning the QR code that is below. Share your thoughts on public safety & policing. It is quick, voluntary, and completely anonymous. The data will be collected by Police2Peace.

     You can also visit the Parsons Police website for additional information on how to participate with the survey at: WWW.PARSONSPD.COM

     The concept of the training, community forum and the currently open electronic community policing survey is to enhance community feedback with police & citizens.

    From de-escalation to outreach efforts;  there are always opportunities to increase 2-way communication between the police and the citizens they partner with.

     Parsons Police leads the majority of all law enforcement agencies in the state by investing in a dynamic website chocked full of information. Citizens can sign up to receive email and text alerts. Over 250 podcasts have been produced by PPD & are available online. A new Domestic Violence Unit (grant funded) goes operational in September. The School Resource Officer (SRO) Program is expanding to two SRO's, also through grant support. Parsons Police believe in continuous improvement.

     Police2Peace is providing training, technical services and survey management to the Parsons Police staff through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

     Part of the Police2Peace package of law enforcement training is the Peace Officer Promise, a reaffirmation of its commitment to enhancing the community's trust and confidence in the department while controlling crime.

      "The Peace Officer Promise parallels medicine's commitment to eliminate or mitigate patient harm of beneficial treatments or medicines," said Spinks.

      "Medicine's use of the Hippocratic Oath binds physicians to, 'first, do no harm.'  Policing, like medicine, must constantly balance both the benefits of their actions and their potentially adverse side effects. Today, we are recommitting to the sanctity of life for our community, and this is what that looks like, embodied in The Peace Officer Promise."

      The Peace Officer Promise states:

"We the [insert agency name] promise that, while doing our best to control crime, we will do everything in our power to do no harm to the communities we serve and protect."

 

     Police2Peace is not a soft on crime philosophy, but it embodies the philosophy that the Parsons Police Department rolled out in 2018 to use the lowest level of force to gain the highest level of voluntary compliance. In 2023, the Parsons Police made 1,137 arrests and used force in only 57 of those arrests. That is a 5% use of force, this is a significantly lower rate of force being used than in many parts of the country.

     The Parsons Police Annual Report is available online at www.parsonspd.com. The annual report includes use of force data and other important information about the Parsons Police Department.

###