Lessons Learned from the Implementation of Statewide Police Reform

• In Event: Examining Police Reforms in New Jersey: Findings from a Multimethod, Multiyear Evaluation

Abstract

State Attorneys General can be important agents of police reform and instrumental in the transformation of policing, especially as the federal government takes a step back from the pursuit of consent decrees. Increasingly, changes designed to impact policing are being mandated at the state level, and police agencies are tasked with implementing programs they are unfamiliar with, often with unrealistic deadlines. This paper explores the experiences of police leaders tasked with implementing changes in state-mandated use of force policy, training, and data collection in New Jersey. The conversation will be framed by findings from semi-structured interviews of 30+ training coordinators and police executives across the state and a statewide police executive survey assessing the rollout and implementation of the reform package. The paper identifies the similarities and variations in implementing reforms across the state and considers the challenges and lessons learned from the statewide mandates to inform policymakers considering implementing similar changes.

Author

• Gabrielle Isaza, National Policing Institute