As a part of the Center for Public Safety and Justice (CPSJ), UVA Public Safety leadership and faculty, including Ben Haiman, Bryon Gustafson, Jay Farr, Tracie Keesee, Oscar Odom, James McElvain, and Eric Plummer joined more than 16,000 public service professionals at this year’s annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in Boston, Ma.
Renown for training, education and networking opportunities, the conference offers the chance to learn new techniques, advance knowledge and careers, and equip departments and individuals for ongoing success.
While attendees may have seen the UVA team in the exhibition hall adjacent to the Lexipol booth connecting with students, answering questions, sharing career advice and exploring the future of public safety with the current and next generation of leaders, they were also able to glean from a host of fantastic panels and meaningfully participate in sessions on topics like leadership, equity and technological innovations in public safety.
CPSJ Executive Director Ben Haiman joined IACP for an interview with Elevate Blue project regarding best practices in recruiting, hiring and training for agencies of all size. Haiman and host Eric Drifmeyer dove into challenges in refining the right culture for agencies, developing pipeline programs and leveraging continued education to recruit and retain the best into policing.
Haiman also served as a panelist in the session “Leading From Beyond the Badge: How Professional Staff are Transforming Modern Police Operations and What They Can Do for Your Agency,” which addressed how to best leverage the knowledge, skills and talents of non-sworn members in a law enforcement environment, as well as the challenges and opportunities to improve agency leadership through diverse mindsets.
Conference themes and trends that stood out to UVA team this year include:
- Technology’s transformational effect on law enforcement was apparent in panel discussions and exhibits, and attendees could find Artificial Intelligence at every turn. This highlighted the need for implementation experience and training solutions to ensure data is shared and protected appropriately, departments can keep pace with evolving society and officers can navigate technology required to do their jobs.
- Departments and organizations continue to struggle in human resources, administrative and leadership areas, calling for tools, training and professional development to create efficiencies and cope in a rapidly changing world.
- An openness to discussing officer safety and wellness, as recognition of the significance of supporting officer’s mental health through structured programs, crisis intervention resources, tools and apps grows.
Each year the IACP conference raises challenges and opportunities in law enforcement. As fundamental to the Center for Public Safety’s mission, UVA believes in the transformational power of education and appreciates the opportunity IACP affords to build new partners and engage in conversation from a local to an international level.