Recent events have shone a spotlight on law enforcement agencies, officers, and the tactics and equipment that we employ to protect our communities. As a result of these events, many observers and commentators, as well as ordinary citizens, have raised important questions about the state of police-community relations. It is clear that over the past two decades, many communities throughout the United States have witnessed a decline in the rate of crime. Years of effective, proactive, and progressive policing efforts by U.S. federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies have transformed neighborhoods into safer, more secure communities. However, as police leaders, we recognize that no single factor has been more crucial to reducing crime levels than the partnership between law enforcement agencies and the communities we serve. We know that in order to be truly effective, police agencies cannot operate alone; we must have the active support and assistance of citizens and communities.
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