Trust is something that the past five IACP presidents and I have committed to making a priority for the global policing profession ever since then-President Dwight Henninger met with each of the vice presidents and proposed a new approach to IACP presidential priorities.

This approach launched a smart and strategic movement that not only strengthened the IACP operationally but also created opportunities for agencies worldwide to join the IACP Trust Building Campaign and follow the path to enhance their relationships with their communities.

This year represents a pivotal moment to determine what comes next. In discussions with the vice presidents and IACP staff, we see a natural transition that builds on trust by focusing on organizational health, specifically agency culture. If an organization is not culturally healthy, it becomes difficult to build trust and maintain strong relationships with the community.

As humans, we generally want to ensure that we are personally healthy. In this pursuit, we often seek an assessment to provide a snapshot of our overall wellness, using that information to inform and guide our actions going forward. Similarly, organizations should occasionally assess their own health. For agencies, this wellness is seen in either good or bad culture. Agency culture is influenced by three key factors—leadership, political environment, and community engagement. Procedural justice also plays a critical role in shaping culture and trust, as fairness and transparency in decision-making foster legitimacy both internally and externally.

Policing is inherently an apolitical profession that must navigate a political system.

The impact of leadership is one of the strongest determinants of culture. Consider that every action and decision of the agency leader directly impacts outcomes. Who is hired, how they are trained, where they are assigned, who is promoted, and how discipline is applied—all influence culture. Literally, every decision made carries cultural consequences. Understanding this and the weight of our decisions is something we as leaders must consider as we fulfill our roles. We all have different styles of leadership, and often we inherit an existing culture when we begin at a new agency. If we attempt to change that culture too quickly, we risk losing people. We must lead with intention and understanding and set the right example. Thoughtful leadership is key to sustainable cultural well-being. Strong middle management is also essential, as those individuals help reinforce healthy culture and ensure officers feel supported. The IACP has the ability to leverage our resources to continue building trust with our communities, addressing needs in the area of culture.

It is vital that police leaders navigate the political waters in a manner that ensures they lose neither their identity, nor their character, while maintaining the trust and confidence of their agency, the community, and political leadership. Policing is inherently an apolitical profession that must navigate a political system. The role of the police in society is to prevent crime, protect the public by providing safety to communities, and solving crime by identifying and bringing those responsible to account for their actions. Within each of these goals, there are many additional responsibilities. We must do all of this while carefully protecting human and civil rights. It is the most noble of professions and certainly not for the faint of heart. Leading a police organization is a challenge that requires a clear understanding of all of this and more.

Police leaders are ultimately responsible for the culture of the organization. We must ensure that we are doing all we can to create, nurture, and maintain a strong positive culture to achieve the goals of policing, and it all starts with leadership. The IACP staff, Executive Board, Board of Directors, divisions, sections, and committees have created an organization that provides resources to police leaders globally to assist in navigating the challenge of this responsibility. The IACP offers a wealth of ideas and efforts to assist in dealing with agency culture. If a leader needs assistance as they seek to shape their agency’s culture, help is simply a request away.

During this year as president, I am committed to opening up the conversations on culture and exploring what the IACP can do to assist leaders in this arena. I firmly believe that positive culture in a police agency leads to safer communities and improved officer safety. Strong cultures lead to strong communities.d

Please cite as

David Rausch, “Enhancing Community Trust Through Agency Culture,” President’s Message, Police Chief 93, no. 1 (January 2026): 6–7.