I am continuing my series of articles about Sir Robert Peel's 9 Principles of Policing.  Today, my focus is on Principle #7. Principle #7 To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.  Even in 1829, a relationship with the public was essential for law enforcement officers to be successful.  I’m not sure this concept was as understood back in the day as it is today.  In general, law enforcement was a thankless job that relied upon brute force to be effective.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am sure many police officers valued having a positive relationship with the community, but few likely understood how important that concept was at the time. The sentiment expressed in this principle is probably one of the most famous of all of the principles espoused by Sir Robert Peel.  The police are the public and that the public are the police.Sir…

I am continuing my series of articles about Sir Robert Peel's 9 Principles of Policing.  The second principle speaks directly to the use of police force. Today, my focus is on Principle #6. Principle #6 To use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice, and warning is found to be insufficient to obtain public co-operation to an extent necessary to secure observance of law or to restore order, and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective. The use of physical force by law enforcement is one of the most misunderstood responsibilities of law enforcement.  Citizens view law enforcement's use of force as something done to them, while law enforcement views police use of force as a necessary tool on their tool belt. On top of the differing views, many police uses of force are viewed by many as having a disparate impact on minorities.  Even with these differences of opinion, all sides would agree that the less physical force law enforcement has to use, the better. History of Use of Force In the mid-1800s, as police departments formed in cities, there was no national…

I am an avid reader.  If you know me, have been connected to me through Top Cop Leadership, or have read any of the articles I have written, you already know about my passion for reading. My passion for reading developed when I was very young.  This passion grew over time and through my experiences. As part of my leadership journey with the Marietta Police Department, Chief Bobby Moody had us read leadership books for our staff meetings and make presentations at the monthly meeting about what we learned from the books we read. "Not every reader is a leader, but every leader is a reader."President harry truman I have continued a modified version of this tradition at the Dunwoody Police Department.  Our supervisory staff read a book together and discuss what we have learned at our staff meeting each month.  We try and focus on how what we learned can help us improve as leaders of the Dunwoody Police Department. 2020 Reading Goal In 2020, I set an ambitious reading goal for me.  I use Goodreads, and I set a goal to read 52 books this year.  One book a week.  Who knew that circumstances, COVID-19 amongst others, would…