Candidate for IACP 4th Vice President: Mitchell Davis
Mitchell Davis is currently the Chief of Police for the Village of Hazel Crest, IL. He started his law enforcement career in 1991 and is in his 14th year in the capacity of Chief of Police.
He is in his 4th year as a member of the Board of Directors for the IACP and is in his 6th year on the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Committee, where he serves as Chair. He also served on the President’s Inclusion and Diversity Task Force and the Council of the Great City Schools and IACP Task Force.
He was elected for 3 terms as National Recording Secretary for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
In Illinois, he is a Past President of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and was the first Black president in its 80-year history. He serves on the Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, the Attorney General’s Office’s Violent Crimes Advisory Commission, and the Regional Advisory Committee for implementation of the 988 Mental Health Crisis Community Emergency Services and Support Act.
He is currently completing his dissertation for his PhD in Organizational Leadership and holds a MS in Criminal Justice. He is also a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.
He received the NFL Alumni Association’s ‘Law Enforcement Man of the Year Award,’ as well as the ‘Attorney General Eric Holder Leadership Award’ from the NOBLE, a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from the National Civil Rights Library, Resolution #303 from the Illinois House of Representatives, and he was recognized as a ‘Chicago Defender Men of Excellence.’ He was also recognized as ‘Police Chief of the Year’ by the Illinois State Crime Commission and received the Jefferson Award for ‘Lifetime Achievement in Public Service.’
He is a member of the National Leadership Council for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids and is also an Executive Board Co-Chair of Illinois Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. He represented NOBLE as a law enforcement advisor for Northeastern University in Boston’s Addressing the Trust Gap: Historical Injustices and Present Policing Project. He is a Board member for Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse. He is a member of the Criminal Justice Program Advisory Committees for South Suburban College and Prairie State College.
Internationally, he has worked with the London Met Police Department and the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police.
Candidate Statement
I am currently the chief of the Hazel Crest Police Department, which is located just outside the south side of Chicago. I started in law enforcement in 1991 and I’m in my 14th year as a chief. I am currently in the dissertation phase for my PhD in Organizational Leadership, and I hold an MS in Criminal Justice. I am also a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command #182.
I am currently serving in my 4th year as a member of the Board of Directors for the IACP, and I am in my 6th year as a member of the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Committee. This year will be my 2nd year serving as the Chair of that committee. In April of 2022, I finished my term as President of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. I serve as a Governor-appointed member of both the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board and the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes. I served 3 elected terms on the board for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). I have a proven track record of leadership within our profession and in many organizations at the local, state, and national levels. I have spoken on Capitol Hill and met with White House administrators from different administrations on numerous occasions through my work in these leadership positions and through the reputation that I have established through our work together.
As your 4th Vice President, my primary focus would be promoting continuity through the current Strategic Plan; “Police agencies will have the trust and confidence of their communities”, “The police profession will be more effective globally as a result of IACP efforts”, “IACP members will be engaged and connected with a global police network”, and “IACP will be the leading source of policy development and innovative policing practices on a global scale”. Using these as a foundation, I will be incorporating my points of emphasis; Recruitment and Retention; Juvenile Justice and Child Protection; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Recruitment and Retention has got to be the most pressing challenge that our profession faces. While the “Great Resignation” has made recruitment and retention an issue in every area of society, and the unique nature and requirements of our profession compound its impact. With that in mind, we have to rethink the way that we approach recruitment and retention.
Law enforcement recruiting has historically attracted masses of applicants, so we often had processes and standards that sought to eliminate as many candidates as possible with the belief that the “cream would rise to the top”. I believe that the experts in our Human Resources Section and our Police Psychologist Services Section can find and develop adjusted processes whose primary purposes are not to eliminate the masses, but to attract and evaluate an expanded pool of candidates through a different lens, without diminishing the quality of the officers that we hire.
Our Officer Safety and Wellness Section can work to actively identify and expand upon programs that keep our officers physically and mentally willing and able to stay in our profession. Suicides in our profession are at alarming levels. Places like St. Michael’s House in Illinois could help to lower those numbers. St. Michael’s House provides a medical wing where officers can maintain their anonymity while receiving substance abuse treatment and not jeopardizing their jobs.
Juvenile Justice and Child Protection is an expansive subject matter, but my focus would be on juvenile offenders and juvenile victimization. A great number of our most violent crimes are perpetrated by juveniles. Our Violent Crime Policy Council and Investigative Policy Council have a wealth of expertise that can help us to develop and identify processes that can assist agencies of every size in identifying and combating the juvenile crimes that are wreaking havoc. Many of the victims of these crimes are juveniles, which perpetuates the retaliatory cycle.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts will be directed towards all areas of the IACP. A DEI focus will be placed on general membership as well as areas of active membership such as committee membership and leadership, appointed board leadership, and elected leadership positions within the organization. Partnerships with other organizations that have proven programs and systems can be forged in an effort to replicate existing successes. DEI efforts would include identifying mentoring programs, cadet programs, and other programs such as 30 x 30 and the IACP Trust Building Campaign that can be used globally. DEI efforts as they relate to community engagement and partnerships will be developed, identified, and promoted in the same manner.
I humbly pray for your support and specifically your vote as your next IACP 4th Vice President. You can now vote by registering as a virtual attendee for the conference.
