Leaders of new police organization hope to create change

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There’s a new organization made up of police leaders from across the country hoping to create change at the federal level.

The organization is called Police Leaders for Community Safety. It brings together those who have led law enforcement teams to discuss policies surrounding issues of policing, crime and public safety.

“Improving and evolving the policing profession is one of the critical focus areas of police leadership and community safety,” said former Rochester Police Chief Cynthia Herriott.

She was selected as one of 50 nationally recognized police leaders who make up the “Police Leaders for Community Safety.”

Some gathered Tuesday in a Zoom news conference to discuss and announce their plans. They come from all over the country.

“Arizona, California, New York, Wisconsin – we come from everywhere,” said Herriott, who explains why she is participating. “When I looked into it and did my homework and knew it was nonpartisan, I knew it was on the issues, so I was happy to get involved in it.

Herriott says the group is made up of mostly retired law enforcement leaders and sheriffs. She says the goal is to focus on issues that impact community safety. Team members have been on the front lines and will draw on their own expertise in their efforts to make change.

“Our goal is to impact policy at the federal level,” Herriott said.

It is the only group of its kind working to make policy changes at the federal level.

“There are some things that we really need a consistent effort on at all levels,” said Herriott, who explains that right now the organization is focused on gun control, he improvement and evolution of the law enforcement profession to include training and leadership development. on public processes such as election accessibility and ensuring elections are free from intimidation.

“Some of us are Republicans, Democrats (or) independents,” Herriott said. “Some have no party affiliation, but we are clear on this and that was important to me. It’s not about party affiliation, but about the issues that we believe are crucial and to which our country is facing today.

Law enforcement leaders say they have a responsibility to share their expertise, make their voices heard in Congress and the executive branch, and call it like they see it.

“It’s very important for us to say this emphatically: for us, this is not about politics,” Herriott said. “These are issues. And we come together for that purpose.”

It’s a long list of police leaders who come together to create, refine and analyze policies, then make suggestions for improvement at the federal level.

“As police leaders, we understand that improving the profession is essential to creating professional, accountable policing and upholding the principles of justice and fairness as we advance safety public,” Herriott said.

Although Police Leaders for Community Safety claims to be nonpartisan, the group says it will support federal candidates not on the basis of their party, but on their support for policies the organization believes are necessary to make us safer.