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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStep 3 Questionnaire Response-LoganJeremy P. Logan – Police Chief Applicant Questionnaire Response 1 City of Iowa City Police Chief Applicant Questionnaire Response Jeremy P. Logan 1. Describe the ethics and values that are most important for a Police Chief to consistently demonstrate. Provide an example illustrating how you have practiced these personal characteristics in your current or most recent position. The law enforcement profession demands a high ethical standard from the line officers and those that lead the law enforcement team. The Police Chief is tasked with provi ding the proper example of values and ethical behavior. When a law enforcement leader consistently displays strong values and ethical behavior, there is a trickle-down effect to the members of the organization. The members then recognize that the positive values and ethical behaviors desired by the organization are applied by those that lead the team and therefore become the expectation and norm for behavior. The belief that a Police Chief should lead by example is relevant to the overall behavior of the department’s members. If the department members observe the Police Chief acting in a self-serving and dishonest manner, those behaviors foster an environment where that behavior is acceptable. As a leader of a police department, the Police Chief is under constant observation in both his or her public and private life. Therefore, the Police Chief must demonstrate and practice strong values and high ethical standards at all times. An effective Police Chief will hold the values of community, compassion, fairness, honesty, kindness, optimism, respect, service, and trustworthiness. While values may differ from person to person, these listed values should be considered universal amongst law enforcement leaders. These values are what motivate an individual to behave in an ethical manner. A Police Chief sets the course for how his or her officers behave and treat those that we serve. During my 18 years as Police Chief, I have developed and grown into a leader that fosters the need to provide a positive example to our members. Our organization developed a global award-winning community policing program entitled ONE. The basis of the program is that ONE Action, ONE Effort, ONE Gesture, ONE Community, ONE Team, and ONE Person can make a difference. The program embraces the ethical behaviors and values of community, compassion, fairness, honesty, kindness, optimism, respect, service, and trustworthiness. The program called for each officer in the department to develop a project that would benefit others, engage our community members in a non-enforcement activity, and would in some fashion partner with another community group or organization. A program of this nature can be scaled to any size department and community. The officers were allowed to utilize creativity and propose a project of their own. By doing so, the officers had buy-in for the project, as he or she was allowed to develop a project associated with an interest and passion that each officer had. This buy-in created more dedication to the success of each project and would eventually lead to officers expanding on the projects or Jeremy P. Logan – Police Chief Applicant Questionnaire Response 2 proposing additional projects. One such project was officers hosting multiple outdoor events in which area youth participated in team-building and mentoring activities that were intended to build confidence and social skills for the attendees. This event had a strong impact on the youth as well as the officers. Additional projects are a Police v. Fire Blood Drive, an Arrest Hunger Food Drive, a Bowling with a Cop event (officers spend a day bowling with persons with special needs), a Motorcycle Poker Run for the Children of St. Jude’s Hospital, serving meals and visiting with the residents at our local nursing homes, and a Haunted House that raises funds for the local youth sports foundation. Officers also donated personal funds to acquire numerous trees for a local park and the officers then volunteered to plant the trees. Other officer projects raised funds for the Iowa Veteran’s Home, the Iowa Veteran’s Honor Flight, and officers utilized their own personal funds to provide food gift cards and food gift baskets to those in need during the holiday season. These projects are just a sample of a program that has broadened community relations and earned the department the 2017 International Association of Chiefs of Police - Leaders in Community Policing Award. The details of this project have been provided to display an example of strong values and ethics. This sense of community and service displays that if a person puts forth the effort and energy, positive results can occur. Compassionate and kind service towards those less fortunate builds relationships and trust. Being honest and respectful towards all that we serve allows officers to in turn receive that respect and more honest responses from those that we serve. Finally, the broad demographic of these projects that engaged our youth, our elderly, and those that suffer financially, displays a strong sense of fairness that understands equality while recognizing individual differences. 2. Summarize the first conversation you have with a newly hired officer. What are the most important things new officers must understand to have a safe, healthy and pr oductive career in law enforcement? The first conversation that a law enforcement leader has with a newly hired officer can be the most important conversation of that officer’s career. This conversation sets the tone for expectations from the Police Chief, the department, and the community. It is important for an officer to recognize that even though a police officer may have handled a number of similar calls in his or her work week, the person calling for police assistance has not. The situation that person is going through is the center of their world at that moment and an officer needs to be conscious of what that person may be experiencing. Each officer that I have hired has heard consistent comments from me with the overall theme being compassion. We serve community members fairly, equally, and with compassion. Compassion towards every individual, compassion towards our peers, and compassion towards our families. In order for an officer to have a safe, healthy, and productive career, he or she must hold and display compassion. It is important for an officer to recognize his or her role is not only the enforcement of society’s laws, but also to assist others through difficult times or in times of need. An officer will be more successful in his or her career if they look for the cause of a person’s actions and not just the actions themselves. This deeper look at the person will assist the officer with resolving the issue more effectively while demonstrating to the person he or she is helping that the officer cares about the situation. This will garner mutual respect and trust. During an officer’s career, the tragedies and Jeremy P. Logan – Police Chief Applicant Questionnaire Response 3 various conflicts that he or she observes can have a toll on an officer’s ability to be empathetic towards people. That is why it is important for an officer to also display compassion towards his or her peers. Other officers can understand the internal conflicts that this may cause. Connecting with and understanding peers at an emotional level will help those officers maintain focus on the need to serve each person equally and fairly. The family of a police officer experience many of the same concerns an officer does. The concern of a loved one getting hurt or killed while on-duty can weigh heavily on the family. Children and the spouse of a police officer can face scrutiny from others in the public and family activities are often missed by the officer due to work schedules or being called into work. For a new officer to enjoy a long and healthy career in law enforcement, the officer needs t o remember to show compassion towards his or her family for what they experience. If an officer can manage and sincerely display compassion in these three areas, they will increase their chances of being safe, healthy, and productive as he or she serves the community. 3. What does procedural justice mean to you and how specifically have you demonstrated leadership in this area as a law enforcement professional? The concept of procedural justice, when applied to the efforts of a law enforcement team, focuses on how to fairly administer resources and resolve conflict. A law enforcement agency should routinely assess processes and efforts of the department to ensure that the members are treating people fairly, while allowing all parties to be heard. A department needs to be as open as possible about efforts and actions in serving the community. Those that I work with, our elected officials, and our community members have heard me routinely say, “If we cannot justify what we are doing, we shouldn’t be doing it.” Transparency is key in building trust and relationships with the community. The more open a department can be about the actions of the members of the organization, the more the public will understand the reasons for those actions. It is important for a police officer to be unbiased as they assess a situation and determine how to best resolve the matter. By giving each person a voice, the officer can then analyze the situation and address the matter based on that specific incident and in an impa rtial manner. A law enforcement agency needs to hold true to their role of maintaining order, but that role can be managed in ways that do not necessarily result in a negative perception of the organization. How an officer treats an individual will have an impact on the way that individual views the department and law enforcement in general. Those perceptions are what influences a community’s will and desire to abide by the law. Trust, respect, and open communication can build a strong relationship between a police department and members of the community. Over the years, I have encouraged our officers to take the time to listen to those that we serve. Officers are encouraged to set aside perceptions he or she may have towards a n individual, and view the situation with a fair and impartial lens. Officers are asked, “If a police officer had an interaction with your mother, how would you want them to treat her?” It really is that simple. If you treat everyone how you would want to be treated or how you would want a loved one to be treated, then fairness and equality will become the norm. In my present role as Police Chief, we have encouraged and developed our officers to understand that sometimes a conversation can go further than an enforcement action. Listen to those with whom you are interacting. You may discover that the reason the person is driving with Jeremy P. Logan – Police Chief Applicant Questionnaire Response 4 expired license plates is because he or she lost their job a few months back. If a citation is issued, will that set this person further back because now they have a fine to pay? Or, would a fair way of handling this situation be to understand the plight and warn the person while encouraging a timeline of getting the license plates current. The end goal here is compliance with the law. As long as we get there fairly and equally, that is what matters. The agency that I currently lead has a warning to citation ratio of approximately 4 warnings to 1 citation. This is due in large part because our officers take the time to listen and be fair. This same practice towards traffic enforcement is applied throughout the various roles of law enforcement. Law enforcement has, and continues to evolve in how many situations are addressed. In order to continue this evolution, crisis intervention teams have been created to assess ways to resolve matters that would have historically been handled by arrest and incarceration. Crisis intervention training needs to continue in order to ensure that law enforcement is addressing situations in the most effective way for the individual and society. The powers of arrest should not be utilized to resolve a mental health issue and crisis intervention systems can be utilized to improve law enforcement response to these situations. Procedural justice does not solely apply to relations between law enforcement and the community. Procedural justice also applies to how a Police Chief acts towards his or her employees. A Police Chief, and the command staff that he or she employs, needs to ensure fair and equal treatment of the employees. When an employee observes fair treatment from a supervisor, he or she gains respect for the administration and recognizes those actions match the desires as to how the Police Chief wants the officers to treat the public. The officers then treat each other and the public in a similar manner. 4. The City Council has worked hard to improve social justice and racial equity throughout the entire community. How will you further this effort as Police Chief? Over the past several years, I have observed the efforts by the City of Iowa City, the elected officials, and the police department towards improving social justice and racial equity. The statistical analysis of the St. Ambrose Study, by Dr. Christopher Ba rnum, was an important step in identifying areas of concern. The additional efforts of having an Iowa City Police Department committee review and develop plans to reduce disproportionate minority contacts has also proven to be effective. While it is hard to believe that in this day and age a discussion even needs to be had about treating people equally no matter who they are, the fact is, bias still exists. The issue of racial equity should be viewed as a priority for every organization. Police officers will follow the philosophical lead of the Police Chief. A Police Chief cannot overlook the importance of how our own values, attitudes, and beliefs determine and influence that of our agency. The effort to improve social justice and racial equity needs to start with the leadership working at the ground level, with the Police Chief setting the foundation. As with many law enforcement issues and projects, communication and partnerships can help reduce instances of racial inequality. Continued and enhanced community policing efforts and community engagement efforts will develop and improve relationships and trust. The Police Chief needs to be proactive in developing relationships with the leaders of all community groups with a specific focus on minority groups. These relationships need to be forged early on and not during a time of a potential crisis. These strong and trusted relationships will Jeremy P. Logan – Police Chief Applicant Questionnaire Response 5 allow for open communication during times of trouble. The development of these relationships allows the Police Chief to hear the voices and concerns of those leaders, and he or she can then assess how to best address them. Open communication as to how the police department plans to positively engage the minority groups or neighborhoods can subsequently dispel concerns and creates an understanding that the effort being made is not motivated towards seeking out criminal activity. Instead, the efforts will be recognized to be motivated towards building relationships and safeguarding all of those that we serve, no matter what race they are. Just as important as building relations with all members of the community are outreach efforts to recruit and hire a diverse workforce. Additionally, officers would be encouraged to have non-enforcement contacts with all community members. When an officer takes the time to learn about the people he or she serves, the officer will better understand that individual’s viewpoint and situation. Officers would be encouraged to take part in various social organizations and minority community groups to allow for positive relationship building. Further, there will be an increase and enhancements in training in the areas of minority equity, implicit bias, cultural competency, and racial inclusion. Most importantly, when a problem is observed, the Police Chief needs to decisively address it to curb those behaviors and send a clear message that the Iowa City Police Department treats all persons equally. Anything less than equality is unacceptable. In the days following May 25, 2020, the world watched with sadness, confusion, anger, and frustration, as a video displayed Minneapolis police officers senselessly taking the life of George Floyd. Community members, elected officials, and law enforcement officers nationwide have all condemned the actions of those officers. While many in our country recognize that the actions of a few police officers should not represent the sentiment towards all police officers, this senseless killing was the last drop of water in the emotional bucket of racial inequity. As a society, we cannot allow racial bias to play any part in how another human being is treated. Instances like that which occurred in Minneapolis should never occur. However, until education and further reforms take hold, if instances like this occur, that is when the cultivated trusted relationships and open communication between minority groups and law enforcement officials will be of great benefit. These trusted relationships can assist communities with organizing peaceful protests while curbing violent actions. Communication can de-escalate many situations, especially if a trusting relationship has been developed and earned. There will be times when the trust in that relationship will be tested; transparency and patience will then play a significant role in restoring that trust. Law enforcement is tasked with wearing numerous hats in ensuring public safety ; as years have progressed, this has only increased. Educating our community partners before trouble happens, on the various roles and decisions that have to be made by law enforcement, can further build this trust in difficult times. Law enforcement agencies have made inroads regarding social justice and racial equity issues. However, there is still more work to be done. On June 19, 2020, I was appointed to co-chair a state-wide task force for police reform considerations and the open exchange of ideas between law enforcement groups and minority stakeholders. The Iowa Police Chiefs Association has requested various law enforcement associations and minority groups to come together to form the Law Enforcement Vision for Equality Task Force. The purpose of this task force is to allow for open communication between various groups about concerns or recommendations related to improving law enforcement procedures and relations with minority stakeholders. This open Jeremy P. Logan – Police Chief Applicant Questionnaire Response 6 exchange will allow for all parties to have their voices heard with open minds toward understanding what is currently happening in our communities, why it is happening, and what we can collaboratively do to improve on it. We are hopeful that this group can break down any barriers that may exist and openly communicate the needs and expectations of all parties. The collaboration of these stakeholders will play an integral role in the formation of an improved understanding in law enforcement procedures. Iowa law enforcement has displayed a great history of balancing the feedback of community desires while preserving the safety of our community members. The diverse members of this task force will further that mission. Listening to the voices of others is important, but even more important is the collaborative agreement to act on those voices. The recent incidents of violence places law enforcement in a position to re-evaluate the way in which service is provided to the public. There are many great law enforcement officers who proudly serve in an equitable and professional manner. Similarly, there are many great law enforcement leaders who strive to enhance the efforts of his or her organizational members. However, law enforcement leaders cannot apply yesterday’s methods to tomorrow’s problems. An organization has to continually evolve to the needs of the community. While no one may have the magic fix for law enforcement relations with all segments of a community, progress can be made with collaborative thinking and an openness to new ideas. As law enforcement leaders, we cannot be afraid to re-think our approach to the manner in which we conduct business and retooling certain areas that have been traditional police practice may be necessary. Law enforcement officers have been challenged with addressing many social problems for which many officers were not trained. In order to better address these issues, consideration could be given to: 1) Hiring officer candidates or training existing officers to formulate a departmental division that specializes in social work and victim advocacy. And/or 2) Hiring of civilian staff in order to formulate a departmental division that specializes in social work and victim advocacy. 3) Provide an opportunity for community members to file certain police reports through online software or by telephone. Development of the above programs will allow the Iowa City Police Department to redirect officer’s unencumbered time toward more community outreach activities while keeping the officers in place to respond to violent crimes. By having a division that specializes in social work and victim advocacy, our community members will be better served and the proper time can be dedicated to each matter. Hiring officers to staff this division does allow for arrest powers, should the need arise. While the goal will be to resolve issues with alternative mea sures, we all realize that there will be times when an arrest is necessary. A cost-saving measure may be to have the division staffed with a combination of trained officers and civilian staff. The utilization of social services and technology will enhance a department’s efficiency while providing a fair, equitable, and compassionate service to community members. The proper development of this program could eventually become the model for law enforcement nationwide. Jeremy P. Logan – Police Chief Applicant Questionnaire Response 7 5. What about the Iowa City community attracted you to apply for this position? Being an Iowa native, I have long known the many great aspects of the Iowa City community. The various amenities are a positive draw for any individual or family . The community has shown progressive growth while maintaining a welcoming and caring atmosphere. For approximately ten years, I have had the pleasure to serve on the promotional assessment panels for the Iowa City Police Department. As I was able to view the candidates for Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain, I was always impressed with the high quality of officers that serve the police department. Having also served on numerous assessment panels for various communities, there is no question that the candidates in Iowa City are routinely some of the best I have seen. The professionalism of the Iowa City Police Department, the City of Iowa City, and the overall atmosphere of the Iowa City community, fuels my desire to work and live in this great community. I have known Chief Jody Matherly for many years. Iowa City was blessed to have such a professional and caring person serve as Police Chief. That is where the challenge lies … it is easier to be the person that replaces a less than average Police Chief, beca use there is nowhere to go but up. A true challenge is being the person that follows a Police Chief that has displayed the ability to move a department forward and improve community relations. Chief Matherly has proven to excel in those areas. I believe I have proven that ability in my current role as Police Chief and my proven track record as the longest-serving president of the Iowa Police Chiefs Association. Having previously being elected and re-elected for two subsequent terms as president, I was able to lead a team of professional law enforcement executives as we developed the association into an organization with a strong local and federal legislative voice, while providing strong mentoring services to Police Chiefs across the state. A major key to success is surrounding yourself with a great team. I have been blessed with that in both my current department and while serving with the Iowa Police Chiefs Association. Having observed the staff at the Iowa City Police Department, the foundational strength of this team is strong and is a considerable factor in my desire to apply for this position. I am confident that I will rise to the challenge of continuing the positive energy and enhancing the great efforts of the Iowa City Police Department.