Police leaders are vital stakeholders in their local criminal justice systems, contributing significantly to justice system reform efforts within their communities and across the United States. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) elevates the voices of the field as leaders from all ranks enhance policies and implement evidence-based policing efforts to promote public safety, engagement, trust, and legitimacy between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
To this end, the IACP participates in the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC), an initiative of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation created to address the pressing issue of racial inequity in jail systems across the United States. The program supports local communities’ examining their justice systems, safely reducing jail populations, and eliminating ineffective and unfair practices. By focusing on data-driven and community-informed solutions, the SJC aims to help these communities create more just and efficient justice systems.
For nearly a decade, the IACP has been a strategic ally in the SJC, seeking to support and collaborate with police stakeholders in the 80 communities across the United States participating in the SJC. These communities are involved in ongoing efforts, funded through the SJC, to identify the causes of incarceration, implement promising practices to address jail reduction, and build infrastructure to collect and analyze data and measure performance over time. Through the SJC, the IACP supports policies and practices that build justice system and community collaboration, enhance community-police engagement, expand front-end diversion practices, and safely reduce jail populations.
The IACP’s role in the SJC is to champion law enforcement leadership and amplify the successes of the SJC sites to the broader policing profession. The IACP also collaborates with police leaders to ensure they are equipped with the tools and resources to continue expanding on successful policies, practices, and programs established with the support of SJC funding over the last nine years. These include enhanced community-police relations, meaningful collaborations to increase access to treatment and support services, and addressing systemic disparities.
The IACP provides support and assistance to police in the SJC sites by developing tools and resources, including webinars on pre-arrest diversion and homeless outreach; publications about police-prosecutor partnerships and co-responder models; and a monthly newsletter featuring news, announcements, and resources from SJC sites and partners. IACP project staff also facilitate peer learning and networking opportunities by holding workshops at SJC site convenings and IACP annual conferences. The IACP also provides resources, training, and technical assistance on deflection and pre-arrest diversion to address behavioral health issues, like addiction and mental health conditions, that often lead to justice system involvement.
SJC Leadership Institutes
The IACP regularly holds law enforcement leadership institutes, which are two-day convenings for SJC-affiliated chiefs, sheriffs, and other executive-level police leaders. These institutes are coordinated with a host agency and are focused on fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and discussing innovative approaches to policing. They provide participants with a platform for peer-to-peer discussions and opportunities to highlight a broad range of initiatives and programs implemented in their jurisdictions. Through team building and sharing new approaches, these events aim to address current challenges in the policing profession, promote community safety, and provide opportunities for networking.
Since 2022, leadership institutes have been held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Tucson, Arizona; and Madison, Wisconsin. They have covered a wide variety of themes, including diversion and deflection strategies and the importance of collaborating with community stakeholders to address individuals with mental health conditions and substance use disorders and who are experiencing homelessness to connect them to appropriate resources and avoid justice system involvement, if appropriate. Other topics discussed at leadership institutes include community trust and efforts to build stronger community relationships; methods for recruiting and retaining qualified staff, developing leaders, and mentoring officers; and officer wellness.
The leadership institutes have created a dynamic forum to exchange ideas, gain new perspectives, and develop practical solutions to communities’ multifaceted issues. By the end of each institute, participants leave with actionable ideas for implementing change within their agencies. By facilitating the exploration of a wide range of topics and encouraging multisystem collaboration, these events significantly contribute to the efforts of the SJC, leading to more effective and responsive policing practices in the United States.
The IACP’s Future with SJC
In 2025, the IACP will hold a final SJC leadership institute to highlight the insights and progress made over the last decade. This event will serve as a capstone, celebrating the initiative’s achievements and setting the stage for future endeavors for the role of policing in criminal justice reform.
Following this event, the IACP will release a comprehensive report detailing the findings and outcomes of the four SJC leadership institutes. This report will encapsulate lessons learned, promising practices, and recommendations for future initiatives.
The progress made through the SJC over the last 10 years will serve as a foundation for ongoing efforts to promote public safety, reduce incarceration, and build stronger community-police relationships. The IACP remains committed to supporting law enforcement leaders in their pursuit of innovative and effective policing practices.
