Locksmith Denvert Locksmith Denver is happy to bring to its customers a brief of the future of policing and public safety is being debated in Denver as a result of a 53-page report from a task force of over 100 community members reviewing policing and other public safety issues in the city.

The report outlines five key strategies for reimagining policing and public safety in the wake of notable police-related incidents that have occurred in Denver and throughout the US. In addition, it proposes a set of “Principles” for police-community relations.

The five strategies are:

1. Empower the community with resources to adequately address socioeconomic needs and provide for their own public safety.
2. Minimize unnecessary interaction of law enforcement and the criminal legal system with the community.
3. Back fruitful community reentry of once incarcerated individuals and remove systemic barriers to reintegration.
4. Recuperate the community from harm made by policing and the criminal legal framework.
5. Expand the role of the community in establishing meaningful independent oversight, improving accountability, training law enforcement, and creating public safety policy.

Locksmith Denver’s Breakdown of the Strategies Recommended

Empower the Community with Adequate Resources

The first recommended strategy suggests that community-based solutions provide a more nuanced framework for public safety that can be adjusted to diverse communities’ specific needs.

The report’s authors suggest that community-based solutions should be shaped by public feedback and that these solutions must lead with addressing underlying causes of crime.

Ideally, as we see it at Locksmith Denver, this would mean involving people from affected communities in the decision-making process to improve overall safety.

Moreover, other resources such as federal grants could help empower local organizations to engage with communities to identify and correct the root causes of crime.

Minimize Unnecessary Interaction Between Law Enforcement & Criminal Legal System

The second strategy also seeks to empower local communities. It advocates for more comprehensive community-based policing strategies that attempt to involve police less directly with criminal justice issues.

This would reduce the number of situations that lead to police interactions, like arrests and criminal investigations.

This strategy also seeks to engage law enforcement in conversations about the role of race; its impact on policing decisions.

The task force specifically recommends an “implicit bias” training program for all officers to develop more competent relationships with community members, especially people from minority backgrounds, where research has shown that implicit racial bias is more prevalent.

Support Successful Community Reentry, and Remove Systemic Barriers to Reintegration

The third strategy centers on the reentry of people who have been incarcerated back into their communities. The authors suggest programs like Denver’s “Banning the Box” campaign, which prevents employers from asking about criminal records on initial applications.

Locksmith Denver strongly believe in second chance, so this would give people a chance to be considered for jobs and help reduce the likelihood that they will return to prison.

The fourth strategy is relevant to Denver specifically because of its partnership with Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), an organization focused on reducing the prison population in states.

The central premise of the JRI is to eliminate certain types of low-level offenses from being reportable to the FBI, which can make states and cities appear more dangerous than they actually are.

Recuperate the community from harm made by policing and the criminal legal framework

One of the important points Locksmith Denver’s management found, is that the report suggests that the criminal legal system inflicts harm on communities, especially minority groups. Accordingly, advocates for this strategy recommend increasing prosecution of officers who commit actions of racially discriminatory policing.

This particular recommendation makes sense considering that in 2014 Denver was number 5 on the list of cities most likely to receive a complaint about excessive force from police officers.

This suggests that there are problems within the department, which could be addressed by prosecuting those officers who engage in practices that disproportionately harm minority communities.

Other recommendations include increasing public education and awareness around local policing policies, developing “mutual aid” agreements to mobilize other law enforcement agencies when situations requiring a greater police presence arise, and increasing restorative justice practices to decrease recidivism and address interpersonal harm between individuals.

Expand the Role of the Community in Establishing Meaningful, Independent Oversight, Improving Accountability, and Creating Public Safety Policy

The final strategy emphasizes the importance of a “strong, independent oversight mechanism to provide greater accountability for Denver’s public safety system.”

The authors suggest that it is also essential to educate and unify communities to gain their support for the changes that will be proposed throughout this report.

This strategy also aims to foster a better relationship between police and communities, as it acknowledges that many people feel law enforcement officers do not hear their concerns.

The authors suggest training programs for officers on how to better interact with people of color, undocumented immigrants, and transgender individuals, among other groups.

These strategies are based on the understanding that there is an apparent disconnect between law enforcement and many of the communities they serve.

Therefore, the task force makes several recommendations to bridge this gap to make Denver’s public safety system more effective overall.

First, common-sense changes like reducing arrests and increasing community engagement will allow for better relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.

These relationships will afford better opportunities to identify and correct the root causes of crime, resulting in a more practical approach overall.

Other Recommendations by Locksmith Denver Based on the Report

The report also suggests that some incentives be created for law enforcement officers who are able to reduce crime by working with local communities effectively.

These incentives could include stricter adherence to timelines and standards, increasing productivity, expanding the Safe2Tell program, and more recognition for officers who receive training concerning implicit racial bias.

The task force would like to see improved technology in Denver’s public safety system as well. They suggest focusing on areas like computer-aided dispatch (CAD), body-worn cameras, gunshot detection systems, automated license plate readers, mobile data terminals, and others.

They also recommend creating a separate division within the City and County Department of Safety to work with technology to address different types of issues efficiently.

Finally, they suggest that there needs to be a better system in place for communicating information between law enforcement officers and other personnel involved in both public safety and community issues.

Final Overview of the Report

Overall, as we see it at Locksmith Denver the report provides a comprehensive overview of Denver’s public safety system and makes several suggestions for improving current policies.

While much of this could be implemented by local authorities themselves, federal support will likely be very valuable to enhance safety in Denver and beyond.

The Task Force suggests that there needs to be more focus on the individuals released from jail and finding ways to help them reintegrate back into society.

They suggest that there be funding for more sobering centers where people can go after being arrested, rather than taking up precious space in jails.