Module 1. Learning from Leadership: Police Executives
A common theme across successful police-court partnerships is strong leadership from individuals who support innovative communication. In this video, we hear from Chief Craig Meidl of the Spokane (Washington) Police Department and Chief Adrian Diaz of the Seattle (Washington) Police Department. Both chiefs have served their local police departments for more than two decades in various capacities and have engaged leaders in other disciplines supporting people experiencing homelessness to collaborate and ensure thorough responses and efficient resource use. While these police executives lead agencies serving communities with different demographics and political climates, both leaders have similar philosophies and priorities when working with courts and other partners addressing their housing-insecure neighbors.
Panel Members
Adrian Diaz
Chief of Police, Seattle, Washington
Craig Meidl
Chief of Police, Spokane, Washington
Nicola Smith-Kea, PhD
Executive in Residence, Philadelphia Police Department, Stoneleigh Fellow
Five Recommendations from the Panel
- Ensure officers embody the agency’s core values by staying involved in the hiring process. Police chiefs recognize that good policing starts with good people who understand and are aligned with the agency’s mission; Chief Meidl of Spokane observes that this process starts before officers are trained or even hired. Meidl participates in every final-round interview with incoming officers and stays engaged in the promotion process. Leaders can also foster conversations with their staff about respectful communication with community members, with special attention to the diverse economic, behavioral health, housing, and social barriers individuals without housing face. Meidl had his officers draft their department’s statement of values to ensure buy-in and accountability for goal-setting and practices.
- Use every option to connect people to services: technology, strategic partnerships, and information. Law enforcement leaders recognize that they play a role in responding to homelessness but cannot do so alone. In Spokane, police executives worked with local nonprofits that provide behavioral health and housing services to create a smartphone app to address gaps in service delivery. The program provides real-time information to any officer in the field on which shelters or inpatient treatment service providers have bed space, as well as their eligibility requirements and any exclusionary criteria.
- Clearly articulate expectations for officers responding to individuals in crisis, especially where law enforcement has expanded its traditional public safety responsibilities. In Seattle, while law enforcement, service providers, and courts have all contributed to solutions for homelessness, Chief Diaz makes clear that officers should not co-opt the roles and responsibilities for which trained providers, clinicians, and other professionals are better suited. When inviting experts in behavioral health, housing, employment, and other services to the table, leadership should clearly delineate what is expected of line law enforcement officers working within these partnerships.
- Advocate for funding and resources for social service agencies and nonprofits partnering with your agency. The more service providers are supported and the earlier they are involved in homelessness prevention and intervention, the fewer crises occur and the fewer related calls for service law enforcement must respond to. Ensuring full support for the service providers working with those facing housing instability and justice involvement allows law enforcement to focus on its own core functions. Both chiefs stressed law enforcement must inform its community safety decision-making by engaging with the homeless population to learn about their needs.
- Prioritize officer wellness within the agency. In Seattle, leadership created a wellness unit that offers education and resources on good nutrition, physical fitness, and mental health counseling to address the vicarious or firsthand trauma many officers experience. The state of Washington itself has mandated two hours of wellness training for all officers, and chiefs facilitate additional opportunities to engage in agency-led self-care initiatives. In Spokane, peer officers provide confidential and safe opportunities for officers to debrief on the difficulties inherent in law enforcement work.
Resources
- What New Orleans Can Teach Other Cities About Reducing Homelessness (Pew | Stateline blog post)
- The Police Response to Homelessness (Police Executive Research Forum report)
- The Law Enforcement Response to Homelessness: Identifying High-Priority Needs to Improve Law Enforcement Strategies Addressing Homelessness (RAND research report)
- View full video transcript for Module 1