Police Professionalism & Oversight Information

The following are links to various materials relating to police professionalism materials and police oversight organizations:

Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission

Florida commission established to ensure that all citizens of Florida are served by criminal justice officers who are ethical, qualified, and well-trained. This organization sets the legal and ethical standards that applies to all Florida State sworn law enforcement officers including the ethical standards of conduct.

National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement

The National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) is a non-profit organization that brings together individuals and agencies working to establish or improve oversight of police officers in the United States. NACOLE welcomes people and organizations committed to fair and professional law enforcement that is responsive to community needs.

NACOLE is dedicated to promoting greater police accountability through the establishment or improvement of citizen oversight agencies by:

organizing an annual training conference to increase the knowledge and skills of staff members and volunteers who work in oversight
providing technical assistance and advice to jurisdictions
identifying best practices as they emerge from the experiences of members
encouraging networking, communication and information-sharing
furnishing information to government officials and community representatives
List of Civilian Auditor, Oversight or Review Boards in the USA
Suggested Standards, Qualifications and Training for NACOLE member review boards

Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is a national membership organization of progressive police executives from the largest city, county and state law enforcement agencies. PERF is dedicated to improving policing and advancing professionalism through research and involvement in public policy debate. Incorporated in 1977, PERF’s primary sources of operating revenues are government grants and contracts, and partnerships with private foundations and other organizations.

Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC)

Professionals engaged in police oversight and city and police leaders seeking to institute reforms can benefit greatly from PARC’s expertise. PARC can help oversight professionals, city and county officials, police leaders, jail administrators, community and civil rights groups, and business owners by:

Assessing and strengthening citizen oversight agencies
Implementing or reviewing early warning systems
Evaluating use-of-force incidents, including supervision, tactics, and subsequent investigations
Assessing internal police investigations
Helping police leaders develop and implement management strategies that promote accountability at all levels
Assisting police and city officials responsible for complying with consent decrees or memoranda of agreement to implement reforms
Supporting monitors in assessing compliance with settlements requiring reforms
Tracking community satisfaction with particular police agencies
Putting a department’s practices and policies in context by comparing them with those of similar jurisdictions
Recommending practices and policies to one jurisdiction by providing examples of successes in similar jurisdictions elsewhere
Exploring a department’s exposure to litigation and developing procedures to learn from past lawsuits
Identifying steps to take to avoid federal "pattern or practice" inquiries
Helping police and sheriff’s departments manage the risk of misconduct in the jails they operate
Providing expert services and advice to businesses on racial profiling, false arrest, and relevant topics

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)

The FLETC serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization over 85 Federal agencies.
The Center also provides services to state, local, and international law enforcement agencies.

INTERPOL Group of Experts on Corruption (IGEC)

The IGEC provides essential information and feedback to INTERPOL on matters pertaining to all aspects of corruption and is mandated to advise the Secretary General on how best to combat this phenomenon, both operationally and strategically. In order to give effect to this mandate, the experts meet at least twice annually. The IGEC is present at all anti-corruption meetings and participates in most anti-corruption fora. It has also conducted numerous anti-corruption workshops and seminars and hosted several conferences. The group has established substantial credentials as being innovative and leading the fight against corruption globally.

The IGEC has a proven track record of success, with many accomplishments. It has conducted two ’Police Integrity Surveys’ of INTERPOL’s 187 member countries dealing with existing anti-corruption measures and their efficacy, with the objective of addressing and meeting the needs of member countries. In addition, in response to the results of the surveys, the IGEC has produced:

A ’Declaration of Intent’ for law enforcement, encompassing a ’Code of Ethics’ and a ’Code of Conduct’, which was subsequently adopted by the INTERPOL General Assembly (PDF) in Seoul in 1999 (see AG Resolution)
A draft set of ’Global Standards to Combat Corruption in Police Forces/Services (PDF),’ which provides law enforcement with a framework to improve their resistance to corruption. They contain principles and numerous measures designed to improve the efficiency of law enforcement in preventing corruption, as well as in the investigation of cases of corruption. The objectives of the Global Standards are twofold:
- To ensure that the police forces/services in each INTERPOL member country demonstrate high standards of honesty, integrity and ethical behavior in, and in connection with, the performance of their police functions
- To promote and strengthen the development by each INTERPOL member country of measures needed to prevent, detect, punish and eradicate corruption in police forces/services within its national boundaries, and to bring to justice police officers and other employees of police forces/services who are corrupt. The measures address, for example:
  - Expected/ appropriate standards of conduct
  - Effective recruitment
  - Need for effective training
  - Specific measures and systems aimed at the prevention - and reporting - of corruption