PERF’s brand new podcast — “PERFcast” — is now available at the link below. In our first series, “Building Public Trust,” police leaders and community members discuss what’s needed to build public trust in law enforcement and describe innovative ways police agencies are increasing community engagement and trust. 

 

Episode 1: Distinguishing Your Agency from the National Narrative on Police-Community Trust (15:23)

In this episode, police leaders and community members establish the foundation for the rest of the series by discussing how police agencies can differentiate themselves from the national narrative by building trust with the local community they serve.

 

Episode 2: Where We Have Been and Where We are Going: Today's Lessons from the 2016 White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing (38:56)

In this episode, PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler interviews the co-chairs of the White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing - former Commissioner Chuck Ramsey (Philadelphia Police Department) and Laurie Robinson (Professor Emerita at George Mason University, and former Assistant Attorney General, DOJ Office of Justice Programs). They discuss how the national landscape of police-community trust has changed since the Task Force published the report in 2016 and the lessons learned that are still relevant today.

 

Episode 3: Law Enforcement and Community Views on Building Public Trust (33:55) 

In this episode, police and community members discuss how they define trust. Police leaders then share how they have integrated these trust building principles into their department’s operations and how they can measure community needs and sentiment.

 

Episode 4: Challenges to Building Trust and Ways to Overcome Them 

Part 1 (46:23)

In this two-part episode, police, academics, and community members share the challenges they have experienced in building trust and strategies to overcome them. Part one explains why conventional surveys and community engagement programs are unlikely to reach some residents. It also highlights some successful strategies to reach these groups and engage the broader community. 

 
Part 2 (34:21)

Central to the conversation about public trust in police are the historical and current incidents that have exacerbated mistrust. In part two of this episode, community members and police leaders share how discussing these events can narrow these divides. The episode also highlights successful broader community engagement programs and explains why police and academics should work together to evaluate programs and base them in evidence.

 

Episode 5: Building Trust with Youth (25:45) 

In this episode, youth leaders and police share successful strategies for engaging and establishing trust with youth to improve overall community relationships with police, as well as reduce crime.

 

Episode 6: An In-Depth Look at One Agency’s Approach to Rebuilding Community Trust: Camden County (NJ) Police Department

Part 1 (41:51)
This two-part episode provides an in-depth look at the Camden County (NJ) Police Department, which was disbanded and rebuilt around a community policing model. In part one, PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler speaks with former Chief Scott Thomson, the first chief of the new department, about the state of crime and community trust before the reform and the actions taken to rebuild the department. 
 
Part 2 (54:58)
In part two, Chuck talks with current Chief Gabe Rodriguez, a Camden native, and Camden community members about their experiences in the city before and after the reform.

 

This project is part of the Critical Issues in Policing series, supported by the Motorola Solutions Foundation.