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ADVANCING 21ST CENTURY POLICING: THE CULVER CITY POLICE

DEPARTMENT REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY 2019

https://www.culvercitypd.org

The Culver City Police Department strives to be at the forefront of community engagement while building trust with the community we serve.

Advancing 21st Century Policing: The Culver City Police Department Report to the Community

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CONTENTS

A Message from The Police Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Pillar 1: Building Trust and Legitimacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Pillar 2: Policy and Oversight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Pillar 3: Technology and Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Pillar 4: Community Policing and Crime Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Pillar 5: Training and Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Pillar 6: Officer Wellness and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Our mission and Value Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24


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A Message from the Chief

The Culver City Police Department has a long and proud tradition of service to the residents, businesses and visitors of Culver City. The men and women who make up the Culver City Police Department are dedicated to their profession and hold themselves to the highest ethical standards. We have earned the trust and support of our community and city leaders. We do not take that trust and support for granted and understand that it must be earned and renewed on a daily basis.

We recruit the very best and brightest available. The Culver City Police Department is richly diverse, which we believe helps to build partnerships, relationships and trust with our community in the true spirit of Community Policing. Our community outreach is a corner stone of our success. Our efforts include neighborhood watch, citizen’s police academy, explorer program, open house, involvement with local service clubs and our social media program.

Every organization must continually evaluate the service it provides and have clear, measurable and attainable goals. Our success is based on five goals that we call, “Measures of Effectiveness.” Those measures include: the rapid response to calls for service, reducing and preventing crime, solving crime, efficient and effect traffic and parking programs and the morale of our members.

The frame work in which we strive to accomplish our goals is based on being proactive, professional, proud, passionate and working in partnership with the community. Proactive means that we don’t wait for crime to occur; we look to prevent crime before it happens with every tool available to us. The men and women of our organization maintain a level of professionalism worthy of the trust bestowed upon us. We are a very proud organization and that pride extends to the city we serve and the members of all departments within the city. I believe that our profession is a calling, and that calling does not exist without a true passion for the oath we take.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to be a member of the Culver City Police Department. I would like to thank all of the past and present members of this department whose dedication, ability and diligence has formed the reputation that our department enjoys today. I would also like to challenge future members to commit to the values and culture of this great organization. Our chosen profession can be difficult and challenging but I firmly believe that nobody does it better than the members of the Culver City Police Department.


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PILLAR 1: BUILDING TRUST AND LEGITIMACY

Policing with Procedural Justice Procedural justice is based on four central principles which include treating people with dignity and respect, giving citizens a “voice” during interactions with law enforcement, remaining neutral in decision making, and conveying trustworthy motives (National Initiative for Building Community Trust & Justice, 2019). The Culver City Police Department understands that procedural justice is the cornerstone of our foundation on which we build trust with our community members. Incorporated within a rigorous training program, our department’s employees receive instruction on these principals which help contribute to our community outreach, builds trust and confidence in the citizens we serve, and demonstrates that our organization and the community share the same set of interests and values (Martinez, L. 2019). “Procedural justice in policing is the framework that promotes positive change, partnership building and problem solving. Procedural justice exists when there is fairness, voice, transparency and impartiality” (National Initiative for Building Community Trust & Justice, 2019).

Community Involvement in Fighting Crime In order to fight crime, the Culver City Police Department enlists the help of all the members of our community. The National Night Out (NNO) is a community event that the Culver City Police Department participates in annually. This national event, which is held in community across the country, presents a unique opportunity for law enforcement organizations to form and strengthen partnerships with the citizens they serve, heighten awareness to anti-crime efforts, and be united in our efforts to keep the community safe (Dunlop, T. 2019). Culver City Police Department’s NNO events include K-9 demonstrations, the distribution of information about department crime prevention programs, live music, food, as well a chance to speak to members of our department in a face-to-face setting (Dunlop, T. 2019). The atmosphere that surrounds the NNO event is a unique opportunity for the community members to observe and interact with police officers in a non-enforcement environment.


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Promoting Transparency and Accountability through the use of Body

Worn Cameras In 2017, the Culver City Police Department implemented a Body Worn Camera (BWC) program. BWC programs have been shown to lower incidents involving uses of force and citizen complaints (Task Force on 21st Century Policing. 2015). The BWC also cause both the officers, as well as the public, to have a heightened sense of self-awareness. While the BWC’s are activated, “this increase in self- awareness contributes to more positive outcomes in police-citizen interaction” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing. 2015). The BWC program is one example of how the Culver City Police Department is providing transparency and accountability that the public expects.

Partnership in Patrol Initiative The Culver City Police Department has, and continues to, partnered with our community members through the Partnership in Policing (PIP) initiative in order to improve our community relationships. “The PIP Team was designed to have a diverse group of Police Officers at the forefront of continuing to foster, and enhance, the community partnerships that are so important to our Police Department” (culvercitypd.org, 2019). Working with our Community Relations Lieutenant, this team focuses its efforts on collaborative community outreach during town-hall meeting with religious leaders, ethnic groups, and underrepresented members of our community. The meetings often address uncomfortable topics including race relations, organizational diversity, as well as many other issues that impact our citizens’ quality of life. When speaking about law enforcement and race relations, James Comey (Former Director of the FBI) stated, “Those conversations, as bumpy and uncomfortable as they can be, help us understand different perspectives, and better serve our community” (CSPAN.org, 2015).


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Initiating Positive Non-Enforcement Activities The Culver City Police Department recognizes the importance of interacting with the public in an array of non-enforcement activities. “Law enforcement agencies should also proactively promote public trust by initiating positive nonenforcement activities to engage communities that typically have high rates of investigative and enforcement involvement with government agencies” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing. 2015, p.2). Our organization is currently in the process forming a Police Activity League (PAL) which will allow our officers to volunteer as coaches and mentors for youth sports in our community.

Community Satisfaction Survey

“Law enforcement agencies should also track and analyze the level of trust communities have in police just as they measure changes in crime. This can be accomplished through consistent annual community surveys” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing. 2015). The Culver City Police Department recognizes the importance of public perception and providing the highest level of service to our community. Our organization will soon implement a community satisfaction survey to confirm our high level of service, as well as areas we can improve upon.


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PILLAR 2: POLICE POLICY AND OVERSIGHT

“If police are to carry out their responsibilities according to established policies, these policies must be reflective of community values and not lead to practices that result in disparate impacts on various segments of the community” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. P.19).

Department Policy

The Culver City Police Department continually reviews and updates our department policy to ensure our officers understand what is expected of a police professional. Our department policy continues to evolve in order to reflect updates in law, to provide clear guidelines of behavior for our officers, and to reflect our community’s values as expressed by our residents and society as a whole. Culver City Police officers receive ongoing department policy training during daily briefings, advanced officer training classes, as well as state mandated training class through the Peace Officer Standards and Training governing body for California. Our community values are reflected in our department policy and focus on transparency and trust, equal application of law, and appropriate behavior which is expected of law enforcement professionals. (Martinez, L. 2019).

Use of Force Policy

The Culver City Police Department’s Use of Force policies focus on de-escalation techniques and using the appropriate amount of force to effect an arrest. “The [Department/Office] recognizes and respects the value of all human life and dignity without prejudice to anyone. Vesting officers with the authority to use reasonable force and to protect the public welfare requires monitoring, evaluation and a careful balancing of all interests” (Culver City Police Department Policy, 2019. p. 48). In the event force is required, department policy requires our officers to provide medical attention while also continuing to treat individuals with the dignity and respect they deserve (Maritnez, L. 2019).


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Cultural Diversity Training

Racial profiling is strictly prohibited by Culver City Police Department policy. The City Police Department’s officers undergo cultural diversity training while in the academy, and every other year after graduation. “Diversity training remains an important priority and POST continues to partner with the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance to offer a variety of Tools for Tolerance programs designed for all levels of law enforcement personnel. Additionally, entry-level law enforcement trainees receive 16 hours of Cultural Diversity (Learning Domain 42) and 15 hours of People with Disabilities, (Learning Domain 37) training in all POST basic academies” (Commission on Peace Officers Standards of Training, 2019).

Trust and Transparency through Tracking Uses of Force

The Culver City Police Department recognizes the important role trust and transparency plays in accomplishing our mission. Our organization implemented the Blue Team and IAPro tracking system “to manage administrative investigations, track and review Use of Force incidents, as well as our newly revised Early Intervention System” (blueteam.com, 2019). The Blue Team and IAPro tracking systems electronically track all uses of force, vehicle pursuits, employee complaints, employee lawsuits, as well as EEO complaints. This real time tracking system is an important tool which allows our organization to identify problem employees quickly, and to take the appropriate corrective action.


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Independent Use of Force Investigations

In order to strengthen trust within our community through transparency, any use of force resulting in serious injury or death is investigated by an outside law enforcement agency. Outside independent investigations are a demonstration of our organization’s desire to be transparent, as well as our commitment to continued trust and relationship building with our community. The Culver City Police Department Policy mandates “external and independent criminal investigations in cases of police use of force resulting in death, officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death, or in-custody deaths” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.21). In the event of an officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death, or an in-custody death, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office (LADA) are responsible for investigating the incident.

Organizational Demographics

The Culver City Police Department is committed to achieving a culturally diverse work place. Our organization monitors the demographics within our department to ensure they closely mirror the community we serve. The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recommends that, “All federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies should report and make available to the public census data regarding the composition of their departments including race, gender, age, and other relevant demographic data” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. P.24). Our organization’s demographic breakdown can be found on the Culver City Police Department website in accordance with the recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.


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Community Satisfaction Survey The Culver City Police Department is currently engaging members of our community to construct a police satisfaction survey. When the survey is completed, we will be asking all members of our community to provide feedback on the service we provide. The information gathered by the survey be used to update our department policy, improve upon police services, and will help to more accurately reflect our community’s values as expressed by our residents.

PILLAR 3: TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA The use of technology and social media is an essential tool for modern day law enforcement. The Culver City Police Department uses technology and social media platforms to achieve high quality engagement with the stakeholders within our community. “Relevant information, activities, decisions, and issues that arise are shared with participants and the public in a timely way, respecting individuals’ privacy where necessary” (Core Principles for Public Engagement, 2009, p.10).

In Car Mobile Audio Video

Recorders The Culver City Police Department utilizes Mobile Audio Video (MAV) recording equipment in all our police vehicles. As is the case with Body Worn Cameras (BWC’s), the MAV system ensures a heightened state of awareness by our officers and the community alike. Using this technology, the department is able to ensure the overall safety of officers, resolve issues involving false claims, and help to verify victim and citizen encounters.


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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The Culver City Police Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) are very powerful and versatile officer and community safety tools. Light weight and easy to transport, UAVs can be quickly deployed to assist Police, Fire, and Public Works personnel in enhancing public safety, and search and rescue operations” (culvercitypd.org, 2019). In January of 2019, the Culver City Police Department began utilizing UAV’s to assist officers with barricaded suspects, active shooter incidents, hostage situations, crime scene investigations, search and rescue operations, and in support of the service of search warrants. The UAV’s provide an additional layer of transparency and public accountability while recording incidents from an additional vantage point.

Stolen Bicycle Reduction Program

The Culver City Police Department deploys a “bait bicycle” throughout the city in response to an increase in stolen bicycles citywide. After being strategically deployed, the “bait bicycle’s” onboard GPS system notifies our department when the bicycle has been stolen and is being moved from its original location. This technology has been successful in helping capturing numerous bicycle thieves and has also helped to lower overall amount of bicycle thefts citywide (Dunlop, T. 2019).

Inter-departmental Communication The Culver City Police Department utilizes an intranet based inter-departmental communication system. This system is used to access “real-time” data by our employees as well as our crime analyst. Officers can access arrest reports, wanted persons, crime trends, and directed patrol information, to direct their enforcement efforts in the most efficient way possible.


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Police Department Web Site

The Culver City Police Department operates a web site for the public to access information related to our organization. The web site can be found at culvercitypd.org and contains information related to animal services, live scan services, the photo enforcement program, recruitment, ongoing public interest investigations, alarm permits, as well as monthly and annual department reports. All information can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Social media networking

“Social media is a communication tool the police can use to engage the community on issues of importance to both and to gauge community sentiment regarding agency policies and practices. Social media can also help police identify the potential nature and location of gang and other criminal or disorderly activity such as spontaneous crowd gatherings” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.32). The Culver City Police Department has had great success in communicating with members of our community using different social media platforms. In order to better connect with our community, the department utilizes our web site, Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, and Nixle social media platforms. Our organization’s social media presence is an invaluable tool that connects our community directly with our department. The department’s social media outreach contains information related to road closures and traffic information, crime alerts, department events including National Night Out and our annual open house, as well as specific neighborhood watch information. The use of social media has proven to be wealth of public information that has helped solve past crimes, as well prevented crimes before they occur (Dunlop, T. 2019).


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On-Line Personnel Complaint Procedure “The Culver City Police Department in compliance with California Penal Section 832.5 has established a procedure to investigate complaints against employees of the department” (culvercitypd.org. 2019). In order to encourage the reporting of any incident of misconduct by a department employee, our organization has simplified the process by posting the employee complaint procedure on our web site. The complaint process information includes who can file a complaint, how a complaint can be filed, who will investigate the complaint, who makes the final decision, and who will be notified as to the outcome of the investigation. “The Department’s procedures are designed to fairly and equitably investigate complaints against department personnel, and to detect and take corrective actions against employees who conduct themselves improperly” (culvercitypd.org. 2019). During an employee complaint investigation, all allegations of misconduct will be investigated in a thorough and prompt manner.

On-Line Satisfaction Survey

As previously mentioned in this report, The Culver City Police Department is currently engaging members of our community to construct a police satisfaction survey. When the survey is completed, it will be mailed to residents as well as posted on our web site for easy access. After the survey is posted on our department web site, the program will also be announced on our department Twitter, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Nixle accounts. The information gathered by the survey be used to update our department policy, improve upon police services, and will help to more accurately reflect our community’s values as expressed by our residents.


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PILLAR 4: COMMUNITY POLICING & CRIME REDUCTION

The Culver City Police Department believes that children are our future and helping them succeed should be a collective goal involving everyone in our community. “Communities should adopt policies and programs that address the needs of children and youth most at risk for crime or violence” Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p. 47). Juvenile Diversion Mentoring Program The Culver City Police Department has partnered with the New Earth Foundation to provide mentoring for at-risk youth in our community. “Community policing combines a focus on intervention and prevention through problem solving with building collaborative partnerships between law enforcement agencies and schools, social services, and other stakeholders” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p. 41). Our organization’s Juvenile Detectives and School Resource Officers (SRO) identify at-risk youth who have been arrested, or have been referred to the program by the Culver City Unified School District staff for ongoing behavioral problems. Juveniles who have been arrested in our community will be required to attend a six-month program that provides mentor based vocational, arts, leadership, and educational programs designed to help them set, and achieve positive goals. Once the juveniles have completed the program, the original criminal charges are dismissed and the program graduates’ names are removed from the juvenile justice system entirely (Irwin, G. 2019).

High Crime Area Directed Enforcement In 2017, the Culver City Police Department experienced a rise in criminal activities along the La Ballona Creek bike path, the Westfield Mall, as well as the in the downtown commercial district. In an effort to reduce crime in these areas of the city, the department formed the Special Enforcement Team (SET). SET’s primary function is crime suppression and high visibility bicycle, foot, and vehicle patrol in downtown, commercial areas, and the La Ballona Creek bike path. SET’s hours of operation, as well as their work schedule, can be adjusted to address specific complaints by citizens that involve criminal activities or any other quality of life


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issues that are reported by our community. Due to the variety of ways the team can be deployed, they have been successful in lowering overall crime in areas of the community that are sometimes geographically difficult to patrol (Cid, M. 2019). Our organization’s employees take pride in, and understand, the fact that we work for the citizens of Culver City. Our goal is to rapidly respond to concerns our citizens may have, and solve their problems to the best of our ability.

Explorer Program

“Communities should adopt policies and programs that address the needs of children and youth most at risk for crime or violence and reduce aggressive law enforcement tactics that stigmatize youth and marginalize their participation in schools and communities” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. P47). The Culver City Police Department is proud of its Explorer Program. The goals of this program are designed to provide young men and women, between the ages of 14-19, with life skills, character education, and leadership experience, to become a productive member of society in addition to having the opportunity to start a future career in law enforcement. Members of the Culver City Police Department mentor the explorers while instructing them on skills needed to succeed as a police officer, as well as in life. Explorers will receive the highest level of law enforcement instruction and hands-on experience in leadership, integrity, physical fitness, as well as participate in ride-a-longs and assisting Culver City Police Officers with their duties (Irwin, G. 2019).

Neighborhood Watch Program

“Community policing emphasizes working with neighborhood residents to co-produce public safety. Law enforcement agencies should work with community residents to identify problems and collaborate on implementing solutions that produce meaningful results for the community” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.45). The Culver City Police Department participates in monthly


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Neighborhood Watch meetings with six different neighborhood associations within our community. The meetings are structured so the department can disseminate current crime trends, share crime prevention strategies, and also to obtain information from our citizens about how we might improve the services we provide.

Volunteers in Patrol (VIP)

In conjunction with the Neighborhood Program, the Culver City Police Department also encourages our residents to participate in our Volunteer in Patrol Program (VIP). “The role of the VIP member is to be the eyes and ears of the Police Department, in a sense, a Neighborhood Watch on wheels. “The VIP members are not police officers, and are armed only with cellular phones and a police portable radio. If a crime or other problem is observed the VIP member immediately calls the Culver City Police Department and a police unit is dispatched”

(culvercity.org. 2019). VIP members are often seen throughout the city on bikes in the distinctive uniforms composed of white polo shirts, black shorts, and white helmets. Our VIP members are not only a valuable resource, but as residents they share suggestions and insights that help us continue to improve how we serve the community. Partnership with the Faith Community Although the Culver City Police Department continues to partner with members of our faith community to address their concerns, this is an area our organization wishes to improve upon. During times of community crisis, the faith community often has the ability to, “bridge the gap” between citizens who feel marginalized and the police department. The Culver City Police Department, with the assistance of the faith community, wishes to begin to build relationships with members of our community who often feel marginalized by our organization. Utilizing places of worship as a neutral meeting place, members of the faith community and the Culver City Police Department will expand our relationship building efforts, listen to the concerns of community members, and foster new relationships before a community crisis can occur.


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PILLAR 5: TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Reality Based Critical Incident Training

The Culver City Police Department is convinced that ongoing reality-based training is essential to the success of our organization. Dangerous police activities which include active shooters scenarios, K9 deployments, and pursuits, are situations that happen infrequently, but expose the public and department personnel to serious harm. Our department conducts ongoing training to exposes our officers to stressful situations so that they can learn to control stress during critical incidents (Martinez, L. 2019). This type of training prepares officers for high stress situations while improving their decision making and de-escalation tactics during critical incidents.

Academy and Advanced Officer

Training

All sworn Culver City Police Department personnel are required to attend a California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) approved academy. The academy curriculum is standardized throughout the state and includes instruction related to procedural justice, police legitimacy, cultural diversity and discrimination, as well as de-escalation training. “Tactical skills are important, but attitude, tolerance, and interpersonal skills are equally so. And to be effective in an ever-changing world, training must continue throughout an officer’s career” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.52). In addition to basic academy instruction, officers receive ongoing Cultural Diversity, People with Disabilities, and Procedural Justice training every other year after graduation (Martinez, L. 2019).


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Culver City Mental Health Evaluation Team (CCMET)

The Culver City Police Department recognizes the growing problem of mental illness and homelessness in our community, and across the nation. In order to address this problem, the department formed a partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) and the Exodus Mental Health Facility to combine our resources. Our organization sent six officers and one sergeant to a forty-hour Crisis Intervention Training. “Crisis intervention training (CIT) was developed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1988 and has been shown to improve police ability to recognize symptoms of a mental health crisis, enhance their confidence in addressing such an emergency, and reduce inaccurate beliefs about mental illness” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.56) After the Crisis Intervention Training was complete, the LACDMH assigned a full-time clinician to ride with our CCMET unit to help provide real time assessments of our homeless community for mental health referrals. The LACDMH provides a full-time clinician, at no cost to participating agencies, who is able to immediately access an individual’s medical records so the individual can be placed in a specific facility that specializes in their particular needs. The clinician is also able to make housing referrals and is a no-cost force multiplier for our department.


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Ongoing Leadership Training “To advance American law enforcement, we must advance its leadership. To that end, the task force recommends the establishment of a top-quality graduate institute of policing to provide ongoing leadership training, education, and research programs which will enhance the quality of law enforcement culture, knowledge, skills, practices and policies” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.55). The Culver City Police Department believes that a well-educated employee possesses a better understanding of the skills it takes to be a modern-day law enforcement officer. Our organization’s leaders, and future leaders, attend a variety of leadership schools which include the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy (NA), The Los Angeles Police Department’s West Point Leadership Institute (WPLI), and the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Supervisory Leadership Institute (SLI) (Cid, M. 2019).

College Educated Law Enforcement Professionals

The Culver City Police Department does not require a college degree for the purposes of employment. “Offering entry level opportunities to recruits without a college degree can be combined with the provision of means to obtain higher education throughout their career, thereby ensuring the benefits of a diverse staff with a well-educated police force and an active learning culture” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.59). Although a college degree is not a requirement for employment, a four-year degree is necessary to promote to the rank of lieutenant and above. Continuing education is strongly encouraged, and incentivized through the tuition reimbursement program, at all levels of the department. In conjunction with numerous leadership schools, 66% of our organization’s executive level staff have earned a graduate degree or a higher level of education (Martinez, L. 2019).


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Narcan Overdose-Reversal Program

“The Nation is in the midst of an unprecedented opioid epidemic. More than 130 people a day die from opioid-related drug overdoses” (hrsa.gov, 2019). Opioid addiction deaths have reached epidemic proportions in the United States with the introduction of Fentanyl to into our communities. The Culver City Police Department understands that addiction is a disease and is in the process of equipping our officers with overdose-reversal drugs, specifically Narcan. Our organization is in the process of authoring a department policy to govern the use of Narcan. Once the policy is established, department personnel will receive training on the use of Narcan, and then will receive the lifesaving drugs for use on patrol (Martinez, L. 2019). Proposed Communication Training

The Culver City Police Department recognizes the need for our officers to be strong communicators. The majority of what we do as law enforcement officers involves communication and we only get one chance to make a first impression. Police officers, “too often view communication as a one-way activity meant to direct and control others” (Glennon, J., 2010. Communication Skills and your Survival). Our department is currently researching communication training that will be implemented in the near future. In order to maintain this critical perishable skill, officers will attend annual communication training in order to master the art of listening, communicate more clearly, and give our citizens the best service they have come to expect.

https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/




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PILLAR 6: OFFICER WELLNESS AND SAFETY Law enforcement is an inherently dangerous profession that regularly exposes our employees to physical, as well as mental injury. “The wellness and safety of law enforcement officers is critical not only to themselves, their colleagues, and their agencies but also to public safety” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.61). The City of Culver City is committed the mental and physical health of its employees. By focusing on our health, our employees are able to maintain a high level of resiliency which allows us to be of maximum service to the community we serve.

Health and Wellness Program

The City of Culver City offers a wide variety of Health and Wellness programs for city employees. The activities include meditation, yoga, and other exercise related classes. All activities are paid for by the city and open to all current city employees. Included in the Health and Wellness program, the city provides a confidential Employee Assistance Program to assist employees with counseling for drug and alcohol abuse, marriage counseling, and stress related counseling.

Police Peer Counseling Program

For many years, law enforcement failed to address the psychological injuries that were attributed to our profession. The Culver City Police Department recognized the stigma that was associated with mental health injuries and formed the Culver City Police Peer Counseling Team to address the problem. “An officer whose capabilities, judgment, and behavior are adversely affected by poor physical or psychological health not only may be of little use to the community he or she serves but also may be a danger to the community and to other officers” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015. p.61). The department selected 16 employees to attend a 3-day Trauma Support Team Development Course to train to be Peer Counselors. The course curriculum included critical incident stress management, stress management and police wellness, managing problem employees, communicating with difficult people, PTSD, cumulative critical incident stress, substance abuse, and suicide prevention. Our Peer Counselors regularly attend, “start of shift briefings” to share their own struggles with the stress associated with law enforcement. By talking about their own struggles with law enforcement stress, the Peer Counselors are able to introduce our employees to a wide


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range of options to help mitigate the psychological injuries while also helping to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help.

Compressed Work Schedule

The Culver City Police Department offers our employees a three- and four-day work schedule, depending on your assignment within the organization. The compressed work week was implemented to reduce the number of commuting days, decrease stress, and reduce the amount of sick time used by our employees. According to a compressed work study by the Journal of Experimental Criminology, “The analysis revealed no significant differences across shifts for work performance and safety, health, quality of personal life, sleep quality, sleep disorders, and fatigue when comparing 8-, 10- and 12-hour shifts. However, there were significant findings with regard to quality of work life, alertness, sleepiness, and overtime” (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2009. p.407).

Necessary Safety Equipment All Culver City Police officers are issued, and required to wear, an anti-ballistic vest as prescribed by department policy. The vests, which have a serial number, are tracked by the Personnel and Training Section and replaced every five years as prescribed by the manufacturer. In addition to the anti-ballistic vests, the department also provides a ballistic helmet that can be dawned during critical incidents to afford our employees and additional layer of protection (Martinez, L. 2019).

Tactical First-Aid Kits When critical incidents occur, first responders have to act quickly in order to save lives. In order to help with life saving efforts, the Culver City Police Department has issued all our officers a Tactical First Aid Kit. Dr. Alexander Eastman stated, “tactical first aid kits would significantly reduce the loss of both officer and civilian lives due to blood loss” (Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015p.66). The kit contains bandages, QuickClot gauze for hemorrhage control, a tourniquet, as well as additional emergency equipment.


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Department Gymnasium

The Culver City Police Department continues to implement new resources that will help our employees navigate the stress that is associated with our profession. Physical and mental health are a top priority for our organization and by preemptive addressing these issues, our organization is able to field healthy officers to serve our citizens in the best way possible. The department encourages physical fitness and has provided a no-cost gymnasium on site so employees can regularly exercise. The Gymnasium is always open, so it can be accessed by our employees anytime to meet the challenges of their rotating work shifts.

Proposed Physical Fitness and Wellness

Incentives In order to continue to improve upon the health of our work force, the Culver City Police Officers Association has recommended that the city adopt a Physical Fitness and Wellness incentive Program. If implemented, this program would provide a financial incentive to employees who pass an annual physical fitness test as well as participate in an annual psychological counseling checkup. This program will help to increase the department’s effectiveness and improve our employee’s resilience during their careers.


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Our Mission Statement

The Culver City Police Department strives to enhance the City of Culver City through proactive police work, timely response, and public outreach.

Vision Statement

The Culver City Police Department strives to provide members of the community with the highest level of professional service while setting the example for law enforcement.


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References:

Blue Team force tracking system. (2019). Retrieved from http://blueteam.com/ Cid, M. (2019). Culver City Police Department, Operations Commander. Retrieved from the personal files of Capt. Manuel Cid. Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, Cultural Diversity Program. (2019). Retrieved from https://post.ca.gov/cultural-diversity Core Principles for Public Engagement, (2009). Retrieved from https://ole.sandiego.edu/ultra/courses/_58311_1/cl/outline CSPAN.org. (2015, February). Law Enforcement & Race Relations. Retrieved from https://www.c-span.org/vodeo/?c4528067/james-comey-full-speech Dunlop, T. (2019). Culver City Police Department, Community and Media Relations. Retrieved from the personal files of Lt. Troy Dunlop. Glennon, J. (2010). Communication skills and your survival. Retrieved from https://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/2008039-Communication-skills-and-your-survival/ Irwin, G. (2019). Culver City Police Department, Juvenile Detective Lieutenant. Retrieved from the personal files of Lt. Gary Irwin. Journal of Experimental Criminology, Volume 7, Issue 4, pp 407-422. (2009). An Experimental Study of Compressed Work Schedules in Policing: Advantages and Disadvantages of Various Shift Lengths. Retrieved from http://cebcp.org/wp-content/onepagers/AmendolaShifts Opioid Crisis, Health Resources & Services Administration (2019). Retrieved from https://www.hrsa.gov/opioids The Culver City Police Department. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.culvercitypd.org/home-police The Culver City Police Department Partnership in Policing. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.culvercitypd.org/city-hall/city-government/city-departments/police/community-service-bureau/community-media-relations


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The Culver City Police Department Policy and Procedures Manual. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.culvercitypd.org/city-hall/city-government/city-departments/police/administration-investigations-bureau/policy-manual Martinez, L. (2019). Culver City Police Department, Personnel and Training. Retrieved from the personal files of Sgt. Luis Martinez. President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. (2015). Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Retrieved from https://ole.sandiego.edu/ultra/courses/_58311_1/cl/outline

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