Statement on the Principles of Democratic Policing

Overview

In 2015, the Policing Project gathered a diverse group of law enforcement leaders to discuss the importance of fostering more robust police-community engagement, the need for new and transparent rules, and policies with input from the communities they serve. The conclusion of the meeting was the creation of the Statement of Democratic Policing Principles, signed by law enforcement leaders, researchers and organizations from across the country.

Key Takeaways

1). There should be robust engagement between police departments and the communities they serve around the policies and priorities of policing.

2). When possible, policing practices should be guided by rules and policies that are adopted in advance of action, are transparent, and are formulated with input from the public.

3). Police departments should develop and use sound metrics of success that encompass all of the goals of policing, including community trust.

SIGNATORIES TO DATE

Art Acevedo*
Chief of Police, Houston, TX

Hassan Aden*
Chief of Police (Ret.),
Greenville, NC

Jim Bueermann
President, The Police Foundation

Jane Castor*
Chief of Police (Ret.), Tampa, FL

Melanca Clark*
President & CEO, Hudson-Webber Foundation

Nancy Hoppock*
Ass't Deputy Commissioner,
Risk Management Bureau, NYPD

Chris Magnus*
Chief of Police, Tucson, AZ

Anne Milgram*
Senior Fellow, Center on the Administration of Criminal Law, NYU School of Law;
Former Attorney General, NJ

Sylvia Moir*
Chief of Police, Tempe, AZ

Sue Rahr*
Exec. Director of WA State
Criminal Justice Training Commission;
Member, Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing

Chuck Ramsey*
Police Commissioner (Ret.), Philadelphia, PA;
Co-Chair, President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing

Laurie Robinson*
Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society, George Mason University;
Co-Chair, President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing

Darrel Stephens*
Director of Major City Chiefs;
Chief of Police (Ret.), Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC

Scott Thomson*
Chief of Police, Camden County, NJ;
President, Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)

Diane Urban*
Chief of Police (Ret.), Hayward, CA

Roberto Villaseñor*
Chief of Police (Ret.), Tucson, AZ;
Member, President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing