Establish a policy on bias-free policing.

• Bias-Free Policing
• Resolution: Reaffirming Bias-Free Practices

Increase transparency and accountability of police use of force. Publish use of force and complaint process policies.

• Open Data and Policing: A Five-Part Guide to Best PracticesAbout text formats
• Police Data Initiative 
• Crime Data Explorer
• 5 Things You Need to Know about Open Data in Policing
• Data & Transparency

Provide officers with training and coaching on cultural responsivity. 

• Cultural Competency and Community Policing
• Cultural Diversity and Cultural Competency for Law Enforcement

Train officers on the unique makeup and needs of their communities based on country of origin, religious and cultural practices, etc. which may conflict with local laws. 

• IACPlearn: Devise a Community Engagement Strategy That Works: Principles, Practices, Performances, and Pitfalls
• Equity in Community Policing

Adopt the elements of the National Consensus Policy on Use of Force in the agency’s policies and procedures. Publish the agency’s use of force policy publicly.

• National Consensus Policy on Use of Force
• IACPlearn: Assessing Use of Force Policies: How Does Your Agency Compare?

Provide regular training on the agency’s use of force policy. Training should include scenario-based exercises that incorporate de-escalation techniques. 

• IACPlearn: Adaptive Defensive and Protective Tactics (ADAPT): A New Evidence-Based Model for Law Enforcement Use of Force Training
• IACPlearn: Examining the Development, Delivery, and Evaluation of De-escalation Training: Determining What Works
• IACPlearn: Reducing Officer Injury through Use of Force De-escalation Training

Document all use of force beyond handcuffing in agency records. Review these records on an annual basis to identify trends that need to be addressed in policy and training.

• Reporting Use of Force
• Use of Force Articulation: LAPD Recommendations
• Force Is Not a Four-Letter Word: Closed-Loop Risk Mitigation Strategies for Use-of-Force Reporting
• The Pursuit of Reliable and Accurate Data: One City’s Experience with Use-of-Force Reporting

Participate in the National Use of Force database.

• National Use-of-Force Data Collection

Establish an agency policy or statement that recognizes the sanctity of life and the importance of preserving human life during all encounters. Each officer adopting the IACP Oath of Honor will meet this requirement.

• IACP Law Enforcement Oath of Honor
• Law Enforcement Code of Ethics
• Standards of Conduct

Participate in an accreditation, certification, or credentialing process that includes an independent organization that reviews an agency’s policies and procedures.

• Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), Inc. 
• IACP Management Studies

Ensure training and policy reflect a culture of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accountability, and promote procedural justice for community members and employees alike.

• Research in Brief: The Evaluation of Procedural Justice Training in the Norfolk Police Department, Norfolk Virginia
• Rethinking Procedural Justice: Perceptions, Attitudes, and Framing
• Improved Outcomes in Racially Charged Police Encounters: Making the Case for Decision-Based Training
• Procedural Justice: A Training Model for Organizational-Level Change
• Procedural Justice Training: The Norfolk Model with a Focus on Race Relations
• Research in Brief: Teaching Procedural Justice and Communication Skills during Community-Police Encounters
• Procedural Justice: A Training Model for Organizational-Level Change
• COPS Office: Procedural Justice
• National Initiative for Building Community Trust & Justice

Establish an employee wellness program that includes both physical and mental health.

• Employee Mental Health and Wellness
• IACPlearn: Building Resiliency: A Leadership Strategy for Increasing Performance
• IACPlearn: The Divergence of Institution, Leadership, and Culture: Creating an Environment for Better Health and Well-Being in Policing
• IACPlearn: Improving Agency Culture and Enhancing Officer Wellbeing: Steps for Implementing Comprehensive Wellness Programs
• IACPlearn: Grief & Loss in Law Enforcement: Helping Officers and Agencies Recover and Heal
• IACPlearn: Officer Family Wellness Podcast Series
• IACPlearn: Partnering Up: How to Create a Culture of Wellness that Lasts
• Officer Safety and Wellness

Conduct a culture assessment of the organization, with steps taken to address areas of concern.

• Supporting Culture Change through Internal Communication with Officers and Civilian Staff

Provide body armor to officers, and require the wearing of soft body armor while on uniformed patrol.

• Body Armor 
• Resolution: Support for Mandatory Body Armor and Seatbelt Wear Policies

Embrace the guardian officer rather than the warrior mindset in recruiting and training. 

• Recruiting & Hiring
• IACPlearn: Collaboration as Best Practice in Hiring and Retention: Perspectives from a Polygrapher, Psychologist, Background Investigator, Commander, and Chief
• IACPlearn: Recruiting, Selecting, and Retaining a 21st Century Workforce That Builds Community Trust and Legitimacy
• IACPlearn: Telling Your Story for Successful Recruitment
• Sample Hiring, Promotional, and Performance Evaluation Questions
• Psychological Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation Guidelines
• Preemployment Psychological Evaluation Guidelines
• Best Practice Guide: Recruitment, Retention, and Turnover in Law Enforcement

Establish minimum educational standards or equivalency requirements that can be met by prior life experience. Provide officers with the opportunity for advanced education and training opportunities.

Verify potential hires with the national decertification database before hiring experienced officers.

• National Decertification Index (NDI) 

Include measures of problem-solving, trust-building, and cultural responsivity in metrics of officer performance. 

Train officers in trauma-informed responses.

• IACPlearn: The Impact of Trauma: A Trauma-Informed Lens and Response Webinar
• IACP Working For You: Trauma-Informed Policing: Responding to Children Exposed to Violence
• Trauma-Informed Victim Interviewing
• Trauma-Informed Sexual Assault Investigation Training

Train officers on best practices, resources, and tools for communicating with community members who do not speak English or whose ability to communicate is impaired (e.g., people who are hard of hearing or deaf).

• Response to Victims of Crime
• IACPlearn: Critical Language Access Needs of Victims
• IACPlearn: Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Victims (ELERV) Video Series
• Response to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals

Establish partnerships to provide for mental health, substance abuse, and youth deflection/diversion resources in their community.

• IACPlearn: Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Victims: Using the ELERV Strategy to Build Bridges in Communities
• One Mind Campaign
• Confidentiality Protocol Checklist
• Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking

Educate communities on the dynamics of policing, and set reasonable expectations for their police. Establish shared expectations of the role police have in the community and how to evaluate police performance.

• IACPlearn: Social Media Matters: Why Law Enforcement Leaders Should Embrace Strategic Communication Through Social Media
• Community Engagement and Dialogue 
• Options for Community Engagement and Dialogue
• IACP and COPS Office Resources: Community-Police Relations
• IACP National Policy Summit on Community-Police Relations
• Community-Police Engagement 
• Communicating to Build Trust 
• Social Media Post Template

Establish a clear and timely complaint processes that does not require written or sworn statements to submit. Complaint processes and policies should be accessible to all.

Conduct a regular recurring survey of the community to measure the level of trust in the police. 

• IACPlearn: Are you Procedurally Just? Using Public Opinion Survey Data to Strengthen Organizational Strategy and Culture
• Community Member Feedback as an Effective Tool for Building and Maintaining Trust
• Sample Community Surveys
• IACP Internal and Community Surveys
• Gathering Feedback through Community Surveys

Establish written strategies to engage with youth in the community to develop positive relationships with police officers and how to interact safely with police.

• IACPlearn: How a Community-Based Intervention Model Drove Down Juvenile Crime and Resulted in Fewer Arrests
• IACP National Summit on Law Enforcement Leadership in Juvenile Justice
• Youth Focused Policing
• Youth Focused Policing Resource Center
• Ways to Engage Youth and Police in Conversation
• The Effects of Adolescent Development on Policing
• Improving Law Enforcement Responses to Adolescent Girls