Submitted by: Police Professional Standards, Ethics, and Image Committee in partnership with the Community Policing Committee, the Human & Civil Rights Committee, and the Police Administration Committee

WHEREAS the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) supports efforts of professional policing agencies to advance the quality of the profession by establishing core tenets of a healthy culture1; and 

WHEREAS IACP, through its Strategic Plan, asserts that police agencies will have the trust and confidence of their communities2; and

WHEREAS IACP, through its Strategic Plan, asserts that the police profession will be more effective globally as a result of IACP efforts3; and

WHEREAS IACP established Bias-Free Policing, Leadership and Culture, and Community Relations as three of six key focus areas in the Trust Building Campaign4; and

WHEREAS IACP acknowledges that an exemplary policing culture leads to development and retention of high-quality peace officers and supports a core value of policing to protect the vulnerable from harm5; and

WHEREAS IACP recognizes that high-quality peace officers provide reliable and trustworthy community safety and service6; and

WHEREAS IACP recognizes that the erosion of positive culture can lead to compromises and lowering of standards, the loss of trusted community safety and service, and the subsequent loss of an agency’s efficacy7; and

WHEREAS IACP acknowledges that the lack of uniform basic tenets of positive culture leads to deleterious effects and disparities in character, performance, and service outcomes8, it recommends:

ELEMENTS OF POSITIVE POLICE CULTURE 9, 10, 11, 12

• a. Safety and service for all community members;
• b. Clear, acknowledged, and practiced expectations of professional conduct;
• c. Adherence and accountability to law, policy, and ethics;
• d. Leadership actions, communicated through a timeline and demonstrated throughout all levels of the organization, that are sustainable and align with organizational values;
• e. Collaborative engagement with community members, organizations, elected leaders, and peers;
• f. Bias-free and inclusive organizational and policing practices;
• g. Transparency to both internal and external stakeholders;
• h. Deliberate investment in the safety, development, and wellness of organizational members;
• i. Effective bilateral communication throughout the organization including soliciting and valuing input from all levels of the organization; and
• j. Continuous evaluation of the organizational climate to identify needed changes for a healthy police culture and for continuous improvement.

WHEREAS, IACP also acknowledges that agencies across a diverse and international profession may have organizational and regional perspectives on additional elements of a positive culture13; and

WHEREAS, IACP acknowledges agencies will differ in the delivery of leadership and policing services, and that the elements above provides a foundation to establish a consistent set of practices, principles, and purpose14; and

WHEREAS, IACP recognizes the need to focus and standardize public safety organizations’ core elements of positive culture; now, therefore, be it,

RESOLVED, that the IACP encourages the maturation of each agency’s core tenets of character and service, to advance the Quality of the Policing Culture.
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1 International Association of Chiefs of Police, “About IACP,” accessed December 23, 2023, https://www.theiacp.org/about-iacp.

2 International Association of Chiefs of Police, "Strategic Plan." Business Document. (Alexandria, VA: IACP, 2023).

3 International Association of Chiefs of Police, "Strategic Plan." Business Document. (Alexandria, VA: IACP, 2023).

4 International Association of Chiefs of Police, “Trust Building Campaign,” accessed December 23, 2023, https://www.theiacp.org/iacp-trust-building-campaign.

5 International Association of Chiefs of Police, “IACP Resolution: Maintaining and Maturing the Quality of the Policing Culture,” accessed December 23, 2023, https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/October_2023_IACP_Resolutions.pdf

6 International Association of Chiefs of Police, “IACP Resolution: Maintaining and Maturing the Quality of the Policing Culture,” accessed December 23, 2023, https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/October_2023_IACP_Resolutions.pdf

7 International Association of Chiefs of Police, “IACP Resolution: Maintaining and Maturing the Quality of the Policing Culture,” accessed December 23, 2023, https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/October_2023_IACP_Resolutions.pdf

8 Sue Rahr and Stephen K. Rice, “From Warriors to Guardians: Recommitting American Police Culture to Democratic Ideals,” New Perspectives in Policing Bulletin (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 2015).

9 Wesley G. Skogan and Kathleen Frydl, eds., Fairness and Effectiveness in Policing: The Evidence (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2004).

10 Gary W. Cordner, Community Policing (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014).

11 Tom R. Tyler, “Enhancing Police Legitimacy,” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 593, no. 1 (2004): 84-99.

12 International Association of Chiefs of Police, “Bias-Free Policing”. Business Document. (Alexandria, VA: IACP, January 2021).

13 International Association of Chiefs of Police, "Strategic Plan." Business Document. (Alexandria, VA: IACP, 2023).

14 International Association of Chiefs of Police, "Strategic Plan." Business Document. (Alexandria, VA: IACP, 2023).