The president and CEO of the San Diego Regional 番茄社区 of Commerce is calling for law enforcement agencies to go back to the days of 鈥渃ommunity policing鈥� where officers focus on problem solving and developing strong bonds with the communities they serve.  

Jerry Sanders, who is also the former police chief and mayor of San Diego, says today鈥檚 military model of 鈥渟top and frisk鈥� and 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� that became popularized in the 2000s is failing. 

In a recent opinion piece for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Sanders said it鈥檚 time for reforms in police tactics and training. Sanders said he was 鈥渄isgusted鈥� by the police violence witnessed by Americans over the past six weeks. 

Among the most shocking were the deaths of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and George Floyd in Minneapolis, he said. Peaceful protests over those deaths were then 鈥渦pended by bad police tactics and in some cases, brutality.鈥�  

He said that it鈥檚 time for police agencies to institute the community-based model. 

鈥淧olice need to stop pretext stops and the overuse of stop and frisk. We need all police, every single one, to be decent, respectful, analytic and impartial. That is the only way that policing, which relies on trust, can be effective,鈥� Sanders wrote.

Proven policing strategies  

As police chief from 1993 to 1999, Sanders instituted a community policing model that received national accolades when overall crime dropped 40 percent during that time. Homicides went from 165 a year to 42.  

Sanders recently shared his thoughts with 番茄社区 about proven strategies for community policing.

Here are his key takeaways:

Demilitarize the police academy  

The most important step is to move police training academies away from the military model.

鈥淧olice officers are like football players and basketball players. You play like you train.鈥� 

When officers go out in the community, 90 percent of what they do is discretionary. It鈥檚 not like being in the military. 

鈥淭he academy is not a boot camp and it shouldn鈥檛 be a boot camp.鈥�

More training in problem solving 

Training should emphasize problem solving, critical thinking and de-escalation strategies.

Police also need to have an understanding of the historical context of policing in poor and racially and ethnically diverse communities. 

Policies should be community and citizen-directed 

Successful community policing uses a 鈥渂ottom up鈥� approach where police officers are directed by citizens鈥� wants and needs. 

Police are not social workers 

There needs to be a rethinking about the role of police officers and what they are qualified to do.

Law enforcement officers are not specially trained and licensed in treating substance abuse and mental illness or responding to school truancy or student behavior issues. Yet, they often are confronted with these populations.

鈥淥fficers are tasked with solving homelessness though they are not mental health workers or substance abuse providers. Being homeless is not against the law; it is a public health issue and public health officials should lead the response.鈥� 

Arizona鈥檚 biggest city enacts police reforms 

As tensions have risen across the nation, many police departments and cities in Arizona are reevaluating their policies and taking action including Phoenix.

Police Chief Jeri Williams, who is Black and the first female to serve as chief, has announced a number of changes, including the elimination of the use and training in the Carotid Control Technique.

The police academy also is modernizing training to emphasize communication skills, empathy, and stress management, she stated last month. 

“We can’t function as a department without the trust of our community and there are adjustments we can make to strengthen that trust,” Williams said.  鈥淲e pride ourselves on being an organization willing to learn and evolve, to listen to our community and become better. I am confident this moves us closer to that goal.”

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