Creating Cultures of Integrity in Law Enforcement 

National Community Policing Conference
July 27, 2006

Institute on Race and Justice
Northeastern University


Goals of COPS Integrity Initiative 

 
Build on and strengthen the integrity initiatives 
developed by COPS for purposes of community 
policing 

 
Foster trust and mutual respect between police and 
citizens 

 
Focus on organizational or institutional cultural 
changes  more than preventing officer misconduct 


Components of Police Integrity Initiatives 

 
Series of initiatives to meet emerging and changing law 
enforcement needs by creating or strengthening local 
programs that build trust between the police and 
communities: 

 
Promoting Cooperative Strategies to Reduce Racial Profiling 
 
Creating Cultures of Integrity 
 
Enhancing Cultures of Integrity 
 
Collaborative Leadership Project 
 
Police Integrity National Training Initiative 


Strategies Supported Under Creating
Culture of Integrity Initiative 

Early Intervention System - 11
Accountability - 10
Recruiting - 9
Command Staff Training - 7
Use of Force - 7
Data Collection - 5
IAD Operations - 4
Self-Assessment - 2
Outreach to Minority Youth - 2
Citizen Complaints - 1
Mapping Violations - 1
Review Board - 1


NU/Lowell Police Department Evaluationof Integrity Initiatives 

 
Established a unique partnership between police agencyand researchers 
 
Provided technical assistance 
 
Monitored progress of grantees 
 
Identified grantees across strategy areas for site visits 
 
Will provide information back to the field about
common challenges and areas of success


Challenges of Implementing Integrity Initiatives 

 
Buy-in from line personnel 
 
EIS systems perceived as a tool to punish officers - big brother was
always watching 

 
Obstruction from unions can be a challenge when integrity initiative
results in different conditions 
 
Working conditions sometimes used to prevent ideological changes union
members may fundamentally disagree with 

 
In one agency, an early alert that resulted in a commendation rather than
a sanction helped bring the line more on board 

 
Technology 
 
Some programs (EIS and data collection) require vendors, and integrating
multiples types of data, some of which was never automated 

 
Contracting and RFP issues delay implementation 

 
Control of network or operating systems may require agency to bring in
municipal or county technology staff  having the right team in place aoutset reduced delays 


Challenges of Implementing Integrity Initiatives 

 
Support from top ranks 
 
Integrity efforts can be undermined by staff and/or executive
administration turnover
 
Messages of support have to be given throughout the project, not just at 
the beginning 
 
Positive messages about the integrity initiatives and those responsible for 
their implementation must show up in many different types of forums 

 
Limited of external participation 
 
Low response or participation rates from community partners 
 
Particularly difficult in programs like community engagement and 
recruiting 
 
Other issues within agency or community may undermine willingness of 
external groups to participate 


Measuring the Impact of IntegrityInitiatives 

 
Easier to measure if program is implemented 
successfully  only process evaluation 

 
Measuring impact of programs like CCI requires 
common understanding about what integrity is and 
how we know if it exists and/or is strengthened 

 
Challenge to measure longer term impact of funding 
for specific programs on culture of agencies 


Definition of Culture of Integrity 

Integrity 

 Shift from individual behavior and internal investigations of 
corruption to a broader set of factors including: 

leadership 
 command behavior 
supervision
 organizational structure
 selection, hiring 
 training 
 the disciplinary system 
 the police subculture 
 community values, and 
 political and economic conditions. 


Definition of Culture of Integrity(continued) 

 Changing Culture 

 
Broader than changing single policies or adopting a solitary 
program 

 
Means changing shared understandings and values
throughout the organization

 
Interconnection of ideals 
 
Not just high-sounding ideals that organizations should strive to 
achieve 
 
The task is to establish tangible and achievable requirements in terms 
of an organization's integrity 
 
Potentially achievements we can measure 


Understanding Indicators of Integrity 

 Internal 
 
Creating change within the organization 

 
Effect of change broader and longer lasting than the specific 
program 

External 
 
Community 

 Enhanced transparency 

 Perceptions change, community-police relations improved 
 
Profession 

 Changes in culture of profession 

 Cross site learning = bests practices become routine practices 

 Best practices shared and enhanced through modeling by otheagencies 


Examples of Internal Cultural Change 

St. Paul (PCSRRPRecruiting) 

 
With the input of the community, the department identified 14 characteristics 
that a good best candidate for police officer should embody for recruiting 
new officers 
 
The department is now in the process of using this model to modify other procedures
and practices such as internal affairs 

Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office (Recruiting) 

 
Recruiting campaign involved a purposeful shift in tone about how officers perceive
their role 
 
Shift in tone for advertising started to change the way officers felt about their role 
in the agency and responsibilities to the community 
 
More than just branding, started change in internal culture 

Indianapolis Police Department (Use of Force) 

 
Initiative included multiple integrity 
 
Tried to tie each new type of program into overall mission of the department to
respect community and enhance integrity 
 
Heard common themes about integrity from individuals in very different roles 


Examples of External Cultural Change 

Changing Community-Police Culture 

 
Project fosters new relationships 
 
Nashville Police Department (Recruiting) campaign to increase minority
representation on department brought group together to design ad campaign
Group found common ground to work on other community safety issues
beyond recruiting after project 

 
Discussion of project in community changes perceptions, increases
willingness of community to partner and engage with law enforcement 

External Changes profession 

 
Sharing Knowledge with Peers 
 
Phoenix Police Department (EIS) holds regular information session on EIS
system, has become model EIS template. Other agencies have hired personnel
from Phoenix for programming or have used existing program template. 

 
Changing Professional Standards 

 
Success in one agency prompts others in state or regional to adopt similar
effort. May overcomes resistance in agencies that changes is not possible. 


Conclusion 

 
Lessons learned from integrity initiative will assist other
agencies as they begin or continue processes of cultural change 

 
Challenging endeavor 
 
Hard to make change 
 
Takes more than one program or project 
 
Hard to monitor and evaluate change 

 
Continued attention to issues of cultural integrity
critical as law enforcement faces new challenges