Multiple functions within and outside law enforcement provide ongoing peer support and access to cutting edge resources and strategies for professionals in the discharge their duties. Yet, there is a colossal lack of networking and ongoing training opportunities for community engagement roles, including chaplains, within the law enforcement profession. As crime rates rise, communities and police also concur that strong community–law enforcement partnerships are increasingly requisite for public safety. The LECEN will address this gap.
Network members will:
Research-Based Approach
The LECEN utilizes evaluated best practices in creating connections across difference. The underlying theory is “Intergroup Contact Theory” which was pioneered after World War II efforts in integration and sets the conditions for successful engagement between groups, including the types of activities and the role for leadership. LECEN members will learn how to further use these approaches, how their agencies can support them, and how to evaluate for impact.
Next Steps
The first half of 2023 is commencing with an invite-only trial network of twenty law enforcement professionals that are evaluating and providing feedback for the LECEN’s public launch. Following the Professionalizing Law Enforcement Community Engagement Training Conference in May, 2023, components of the network will be made available to the general public. Following National Faith & Blue Weekend in October, 2023, the network will open up to all applicants.
For more information, please contact us at lecen@movementforward.org
While most law enforcement community engagement professionals have great instincts and good intentions, they might lack the expertise, organizational capacity, and resources required to implement their ideas.
Further, most community engagement professionals have not received any form of peer support on how to best engage with and involve community members, or how to promote their outreach programs, events, and ongoing activities. Others have successfully organized impactful events but lack the expertise to transform these activities into long-term and sustained strategic partnerships that reduce crime and increase mutual trust. These are just a few examples of the community engagement training gaps that will be addressed by participating in the community engagement network.
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