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Tell Bellingham what you want in a Police Chief by this Friday, April 16th!

Tell Bellingham what you want in a Police Chief by this Friday, April 16th!

The City of Bellingham is asking for feedback on priorities to consider in the selection of the next Police Chief. Details about the position available in the job posting (External link) and recruitment brochure (External link).

The survey questions are below in bold; responses are limited to 255 characters. We’ve included some potential responses followed by character counts in italics below each question.  Feel free to use them or provide your own.:

What skills and characteristics do you want to see in our next Police Chief?

  • Ability to build a culture & practice of policing that reflects the values of protection & promotion of the dignity of all, especially the most vulnerable (155)
  • Compassion for the community, integrity, and professionalism (61)
  • Trustworthy and transparent (29)
  • Commitment to eliminating white supremacy and systemic racism in the department and in the community (100)

What background, experience, and/or achievements should we consider when selecting our next Police Chief?

  • Demonstrated collaboration with community members to develop policies & strategies supported by data made publicly available in communities & neighborhoods disproportionately affected by crime (193)
  • Experience leading a department that achieved decreases in use of force and increases in de-escalation & alternatives to arrest (128)
  • Experience collaborating with communities to identify problems & collaborate on implementing solutions that produce meaningful results for the community (153) 

What do you believe should be the top priorities for our next Police Chief?

  • Advancing transparency in data and reporting and accountability to the public (78)
  • Civilian oversight of law enforcement to strengthen trust with the community and hold officers accountable (107)
  • Building relationships based on trust with immigrant, indigenous, unhoused,  and visible minority communities (110)
  • Tracking and addressing biased policing (40)
  • Curbing the excessive militarization of the police force by imposing meaningful restraints and adopting best practices (119)
  • Partnering with the city to develop 24/7 mobile crisis intervention first responder units that are not law enforcement (119) 

What else would you like us to consider when selecting our next Police Chief?

  • Community engagement in this process requires meaningful opportunities to engage including but not limited to open forums with questions from the public, a transparent process, and members of the public enduring disparities on the hiring committee (248)
  • Reducing incarceration, focusing on rehabilitation, and reducing recidivism (76)
  • Review & publicly disclose candidates’ complaint and misconduct records, including lawsuits filed, as an individual and for previous departments prior (151) 

Please complete the survey HERE: https://engagebellingham.org/police-chief

 

Many of these bullet points were borrowed or adapted from:

https://www.acluhi.org/en/news/ten-questions-honolulus-next-chief-police

https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/taskforce_finalreport.pdf