The Pathway to Community Trust

The Effects of Wellness, Recruitment, and Retention

Two law enforcement officers assist a person on a red mobility scooter in a residential area; parked trucks and golf cart visible near multi-story buildings.

As police leaders discuss, analyze, or contemplate enhancing public trust in their communities, they can first look at the level of community policing in their departments to find answers. Chiefs may ask the following questions: Have they created a culture of community policing to view every prospective stakeholder as a potential partner? Have they developed meaningful relationships that have led to trust in turn leading to tolerance, when needed? Do they organizationally understand their policing culture is centered on consistent community-oriented policing and not left to specialized units or a set of programs? These are all valid questions to ask when a leader is seeking to optimize community trust through building and maintaining a police department whose values and mission statement acknowledge and exemplify that the department’s practices, priorities, and service levels mesh with the community’s expectations. However, it doesn’t stop there. Wellness, recruitment, and retention are also intertwined in the foundation and goal of establishing a community policing culture to enhance public trust.