Three keys to better officer decision-making

Does your police or fire department have a subscription to Lexipol resources? All RMSA members can submit a Lexipol grant application to be eligible for a 50% reimbursement of Lexipol membership expenses annually, capped at $5,000 for each agency you operate. Here are three tips from Lexipol to help your officers make better decisions.

Law enforcement is a highly scrutinized industry. Despite the evolving nature of the work—not to mention the legal complexities involved in protecting rights while enforcing the law—officers are expected to think clearly, maintain calm and act decisively. Harmful outcomes invariably result in calls to limit officer discretion. But law enforcement leaders know that no manner of legislation will eliminate the need for officers to think on their feet.

So how do we support those decisions, ensuring officers are best equipped to act in ways that protect all community members from harm while also limiting risk of injury for themselves?

At Lexipol, we are committed to creating mission-critical solutions that reduce risk and keep communities and first responders safe. While numerous elements support decision-making on the front lines, three key factors stand out.

1. Policies

Policies form the foundation of any law enforcement agency. They set behavioral expectations, ensure the organization is conforming to all applicable laws and regulations, and communicate agency values. Good polices help ensure equity, both internally and externally. They prompt the organization’s leaders to perform audits, monitor and react to changes in key data points, and share critical information with the community.

But as essential as policies are, many law enforcement agencies struggle to develop and maintain comprehensive, up-to-date, easily understood policies. Lexipol’s law enforcement policies & training solution addresses these challenges. We provide a full range of operational policies that are easily customized to the unique needs of each agency. Each policy is written in plain language, so it’s easier for officers to quickly comprehend what’s expected of them and act accordingly.

Our industry experts and attorneys spend over 480 hours a week monitoring state and federal legislation and court decisions and developing policy updates to keep Lexipol customers aligned with critical changes. Such efforts are simply beyond the scope of almost all agencies.

Because policies are only effective in guiding decisions if officers are aware of them, Lexipol’s policy management platform has built-in accountability tools, allowing supervisors to track officer acknowledgment of policy and schedule regular policy reviews. Officers access their policies via a mobile app or desktop system—no more scrambling to find the most current policy binder and manually search for guidance. Instead, the applicable policy is just a keyword search away. It’s a powerful tool to support decisions in the field.

2. Training

With policies providing a solid foundation, the second factor supporting officer decision-making is training. Interestingly, many agencies neglect training on their policies. Or, if such training is provided, it’s a “one-and-done” approach. With most agency policy manuals running 500 to 1,000 pages or more, bulk policy training is rarely effective. Instead, ongoing training, provided in small but meaningful chunks, is much more effective.

To support this microlearning approach, Lexipol provides agencies with daily training bulletins that zero in on one aspect of a policy. Daily Training Bulletins use real-world scenarios to reinforce policies in just a few minutes, moving policy out of the manual and into the streets.

But many decisions officers make are outside the scope of policy. This is where other forms of training come in. Officers must stay up to date on emerging technologies, evolving threats and changing community expectations. They must learn and practice de-escalation tactics, refine their investigative skills, and develop comprehensive understanding of legal concepts such as search and seizure, procedural justice and anti-biased policing.

Lexipol’s PoliceOne Academy provides a cost-effective way to train on many of these subjects. The online learning management system allows agency leaders to build learning plans, create custom courses and electronically assign and track course completions. Officers can develop their ability to think critically, both on the street—with courses such as Addressing homeless populations and Cultural awareness—as well as in the station, with courses such as Ethics, Social media in the workplace and Performance management.

Training is essential to creating a “safe space” for officers to practice decision-making under high-stress circumstances. Online courses allow officers to learn and practice skills on their own time and at a pace that works for them. While in-person training will always be necessary, using a blended learning approach can maximize the effectiveness of classroom time. Training managers can use online assignments prior to in-person learning so that everyone starts from the same page. Less time reviewing the basics means more time spent discussing appropriate responses to the difficult decisions officers face in the field.

3. Wellness resources

A healthy officer is a clear-thinking officer. That’s why a third key element supporting effective decision-making is the provision of wellness resources to officers. Agencies must take steps to promote healthy lifestyles and provide both physical and mental wellness resources that help mitigate the stress of a law enforcement career.

Although wellness has traditionally been regarded as a “nice-to-have,” progressive agencies are realizing the connection between officer wellness and constitutional policing. Fatigue has been shown to make people more biased and take more risks. A burnt-out, stressed-out officer is less likely to have the patience and empathy needed to use de-escalation tactics to calm a person in crisis. Personnel complaints, use of force, worker’s compensation claims and injuries are all affected by how well we care for our officers and help them manage stress.

Unfortunately, many officers shy away from asking for mental health help because of the deep-rooted cultural stigma in law enforcement. That’s where Lexipol’s Cordico wellness solution comes in. Cordico provides a completely anonymous app that delivers guidance on more than 60 behavioral health topics as well as self-assessments on sleep, alcohol use, post-traumatic stress, resilience and more. The app also provides one-touch crisis support, a therapist finder, guided meditations and yoga for first responders.

By delivering confidential, immediately accessible wellness resources, the Cordico app breaks down the stigma associated with asking for help. And when officers seek and get help processing the traumatic incidents they see on the job, they are better positioned to respond safely and compassionately.

The right investment

As long as we continue to send officers on patrol and investigations, we will rely on their discretion, their ability to make good decisions in legally complex, highly stressful situations. How would you rate your agency in providing policies, training and wellness resources to support these decisions? Our customers choose Lexipol to make an investment in the safety and security of their personnel, their agencies and their communities. If you’re interested in learning more about how our solutions can help support your officers, contact Lexipol today. Contact RMSA staff for more information about Lexipol and/or applying for a RMSA Lexipol grant.

This article was written by Lexipol for AWC RMSA members.