Memorandum

At the direction of the IACP leadership, and in keeping with our continuing effort to ensure that the membership is well informed of activities at the IACP, I am pleased to present this inaugural version of the IACP Executive Director’s Quarterly Update. Available only to IACP members, via the IACP web site, this column will be issued during the month after each fiscal quarter and provide updates and information regarding recent program activities at the IACP as well as reports on the various items of IACP business.

It is my hope that this column will prove to be a useful tool that will help all IACP members gain a greater understanding of the assistance and services that are available from the IACP. To that end, I welcome your feedback on the information provided as well as on the format used to convey that information. Please contact me at rosenblatt@theiacp.org with your questions, thoughts, comments, and suggestions.

TAKING COMMAND INITIATIVE

In November of 2004 the IACP launched an aggressive project to assess the current state of homeland security efforts in the United States and to develop and implement the actions necessary to protect communities from the specter of both crime and terrorism. This project, entitled the Taking Command Initiative, brought together the IACP Leadership for a series of intensive and interactive deliberations on the state of homeland security in the United States, the effectiveness of federal efforts since 2001, and what steps should be taken to improve collective security.

During these discussions, participants were asked to identify areas of the current homeland security effort that are working well, which areas are not, and what roadblocks to success exist. It was hoped that in this fashion, participants could identify those specific homeland security programs and initiatives that were most in need of correction and that suggestions for improvement could be made. However, as discussions progressed, a strong consensus quickly emerged around the premise that federally led efforts, while well intentioned, have not led to the development of a cohesive strategy that will allow state, tribal, local, and other non-federal public safety officials to protect their communities successfully.

These law enforcement executives came to the conclusion that our nation’s current homeland security strategy is handicapped by a fundamental flaw: It was developed without sufficiently seeking or incorporating the advice, expertise or consent of public safety organizations at the state or local level.

Further consensus developed over the belief that there is a critical need to develop a new homeland security strategy, one that fully embraces the valuable and central role that must be played by the non-federal public safety community.

Working from that premise, and based on the discussions and determinations made during these deliberations, the IACP identified five key principles that must form the basis for, and be incorporated into, the development and implementation of a national homeland security strategy if it is to be successful in protecting our communities from the menace of terrorism.

• Homeland security proposals must be developed in a local context, acknowledging that local, not federal, authorities have the primary responsibility for preventing, responding and recovering from terrorist attacks;
• Prevention, not just response and recovery, must be paramount in any national, state or local security strategy. For too long, federal strategies have minimized the importance of prevention, instead focusing on response and recovery;
• Because of their daily efforts to combat crime and violence in their communities, state and local law enforcement officers are uniquely situated to identify, investigate and apprehend suspected terrorists;
• Homeland security strategies must be coordinated nationally, not federally; and,
• A truly successful national strategy must recognize, embrace, and value the vast diversity among state and local law enforcement and public safety agencies. A “one size fits all” approach will fail to secure our homeland.

These five principles are the centerpiece of a new IACP report entitled “From Hometown Security to Homeland Security: IACP’s Principles For A Locally Designed and Nationally Coordinated Homeland Security Strategy,” and they will also serve as the IACP’s guideposts for the next steps in our Taking Command Initiative. In the coming weeks and months, the IACP, through its various divisions, sections, and committees, will undertake a series of projects designed to transform the concept of a locally designed, nationally coordinated homeland security strategy into a reality.

The IACP will, for example, begin developing a national strategy blueprint that will address critical areas of need, such as the development of prevention and response plans, hiring and training needs, and resource and funding strategies. The association also will work to redefine the mission of police agencies in the 21st century and to clarify the roles of federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement in our post-September 11 reality. As this effort progresses, the IACP also will work to identify, collect, and disseminate best practices and innovations in areas such as intelligence gathering and information sharing, threat assessment, deployment strategies, equipment needs and standards, and public-private partnerships.

The IACP also has reached out to our counterparts in the law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management communities, as well as our federal partners, to join with us to further discuss and identify, as well as develop solutions for, the critical issues confronting the public safety community in the post 9/11 era.

To read the full text of “From Hometown Security to Homeland Security: IACP’s Principles For A Locally Designed and Nationally Coordinated Homeland Security Strategy,” please click here.

IACP INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

A fundamental part of IACP’s mission is to promote communication and cooperation between and among law enforcement agencies, not just in the United States but around the world. The critical importance of these efforts has never been clearer than today when law enforcement agencies worldwide are faced with daily challenges in their efforts to ensure that international criminals and terrorists are not able to evade justice by simply crossing a border.

It is for these reasons that the IACP Leadership developed and implemented a plan that will lead to a revitalized, restructured, and redirected international program at the IACP. The plan, which is focused on critical areas such as communication, affiliation, operations and assistance, is designed to increase our international presence and to serve as a roadmap for the future growth of the IACP International Policing Division.

As a result of the implementation of this plan, the IACP has, over the last several years, held four regional conferences in Brazil and conferences in such places as Riga, Latvia; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Budapest, Hungary; Durban, South Africa; Mons, Belgium; New Delhi, India; and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Earlier this year, the IACP hosted its 22nd European Policing conference in Paris, France, and will host its 5th South American Policing Conference in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. In addition, the IACP has continued to raise our international profile by sending small leadership delegations to international policing conferences such as the Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Security, the Dubai Middle East Police and Security Conference, the annual conference of the British Association of Chief Police Officers, the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police, and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

In addition, we have restructured the leadership structure of our International Policing Division to include Chief Executive Officer representation from various National and Transnational organizations such as: Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police; Southern African Regional Police Chief Council Organization; European Network of Police Women; Association of Chiefs of Police, UK; the French National Police Association; Superintendents Association of Northern Ireland; and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

IACP’s international program is critically important to police executives around the world. We are aware that the exchange of ideas, investigative techniques, and specific criminally related information among agencies from different nations is the one of the best ways to succeed in our anti-crime and anti-terrorism efforts. I am pleased that through our international programs, the IACP is doing its part to ensure that law enforcement agencies throughout the world are united to fight crime globally. [For more information on IACP’s International Activities, please visit the International Programs by clicking here.

IACP FOUNDATION:

The IACP Foundation has, over the past several years, made significant progress in its efforts to fulfill its mission of supporting the law enforcement profession and promoting community safety.

For those of you unfamiliar with the IACP Foundation, it is a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization, established by the IACP to gather and marshal the resources of sponsors, private partners, IACP members and other supporters to provide funds for innovative programs that produce state of the art research, education, and survivor support resulting in progressive solutions that enhance and improve public safety.

For example, the Foundation has completed, or now has in place, several successful programs. These include:

• Establishment of a pilot training course for the Leadership in Police Organizations curriculum;
• Initial Funding for the IACP Center for Police Leadership;
• Development and distribution of the Michelle Norton Story CD (a drunk driving training video);
• Development and distribution of the Images for Community Safety CD;
• Development and distribution of the Training for Tribal Agencies;
• Development and distribution of the Grade Crossing Collision Investigation training CD.

These are all important projects, but there is much more that remains to be done. When the Foundation was revitalized three years ago, all costs were borne by the IACP. These funds allowed for the hiring of staff whose initial duties have included establishing necessary internal structures, identifying and developing appropriate Foundation-funded programs, and launching initial outreach and public information efforts to introduce and promote the Foundation to both IACP members and the philanthropic community as a whole.

In addition, we contracted with outside experts to conduct a feasibility study on the Foundation. This study confirmed what we have known for some time: that the Foundation’s mission speaks directly and actively to the needs of the contemporary law enforcement community. The study also showed that individuals, as well as our private partners, have demonstrated not only a willingness, but a strong inclination, to contribute to the future research, training and professional development that the Foundation is dedicated to providing.

In keeping with these findings, the Foundation has launched “The Leadership Giving Campaign”. Our goal is to raise $500,000 from the IACP leadership and from select, key corporate partners. As part of this campaign, every member of the Foundation Board, IACP Board of Officers, Executive Committee, Past Presidents, Sections and Committees has been asked to commit to a donation of at least $1,000 each. This donation can be personal, or as a result of collaboration with partners in their communities. The funds raised through this campaign will be used to keep the Foundation functioning and fostering its growth in an effective and responsive resource for law enforcement professionals.

For further information about the Foundation, its programs and how you can become involved, please click here.

IACP FINANCES & MEMBERSHIP:

I am pleased to report that, as a result of careful stewardship over the last several years, the association remains in a strong and sound fiscal position. The IACP ended the last fiscal year with a budgetary surplus of $795,000. Total revenue for the year was $22,306,000 while total expenditures equaled $21,511,000.

The IACP Financial Review Committee has approved a proposed budget for FY 2006 that will guide IACP financial operations from October 1, 2005 through September 30th 2006. The budget proposal will be reviewed and considered by the IACP Executive Committee at its August meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The budget, as proposed, authorizes 128 staff positions and anticipates revenue of $23,118,300 and expenditure of $23,109,100 resulting in an expected surplus of $9,200.

I am also pleased to report that the membership of the IACP continues to grow. As of July 1, 2005 the current membership of the IACP is 18,600 representing 92 countries. It is important to note that the July membership number is traditionally the low point for the year because, as directed by the IACP Constitution, members who have not yet renewed their membership are dropped from the membership rolls on June 30 of each year. For example the final June membership report listed 20,509 members in 95 countries. Past experience has demonstrated that many of those who were dropped from the roles will renew their membership shortly after being notified of this action. In fact, our current membership renewal rate is close to 90%, which, by association standards, is considered quite exceptional.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE:

Planning for the 112th IACP Annual Conference is well underway and it promises to be both an exciting and educational opportunity that should not be missed. The conference will be held from Saturday, September 24, through Wednesday, September 28, 2005, at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida.

As always, the annual conference will provide unparalleled opportunities for law enforcement professionals to examine the latest technology and equipment; network with high-ranking officials, attend quality educational workshops, meeting with experts and peers from throughout the world.

Our two General Assemblies will feature presentations from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and FBI Director Robert Mueller. In addition, the IACP will be offering more than 125 educational sessions on a variety of critical law enforcement issues such as dealing with Suicide Bombers, current issues in Less Lethal Technology, the future of Justice Assistance Resources and Police Leadership Development. More than 750 vendors will exhibiting the latest in law enforcement equipment, technology, and training services in what will be the largest tradeshow in IACP’s history.

Finally, Host Chiefs' Night promises to be a distinctive and highly entertaining experience as the sophistication and cultural diversity of Miami Beach comes to life for IACP members. This year’s Host Chief’s Night will allow conference attendees to take in the sights and sounds of three distinctive cultures (Caribbean, Latin and American) as they wind though three distinct venues located on Miami Beach. The evening will be highlighted by a fireworks display over the Atlantic Ocean.

To register for the IACP Annual Conference, or to receive additional information, please visit the Annual Conference page on the IACP Web site by clicking here.