The Two Pillars of Policing by Chief Eric Jones

STOCKTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
January 2017
The Two Pillars
Smarter Policing
Principled Policing
(see May 2015 edition)
Forging The Pillars
The Stockton Police
Department has been first
in many areas over the
decades. The SPD was one
of the first agencies on the
west coast to have Traffic
Motors, a Canine Unit, and
one of the first SWAT
Teams. The SPD was also
one of the first California
adopters of Community
Policing.
More recently, the SPD
continues to blaze a
contemporary trail by
being one of the first
agencies to initiate training
for Project Ceasefire and
Procedural Justice. Today,
with the Two Policing
Pillars, the SPD uses
intelligence-led and
evidence-based strategies
and is the first ever police
department in the United
States to use Principled
Policing as its guiding
philosophy. The California
State Department of
Justice later also adopted
this term.
Eric Jones, Chief of Police
The Two Pillars of Policing
Contemporary policing in today’s challenging world requires a foundation of a
healthy culture and dispersed leadership throughout all levels of the
organization. Upon that foundation sits the Stockton Police Department’s two
pillars of Smarter Policing and Principled Policing.
Smarter Policing is the use of intelligence-led and evidence-based strategies.
It is about being data-driven and strategic in the delivery of public safety
services to the community. Smarter Policing includes innovation and
technology, and the Stockton Police Department continues to work toward
improving service delivery and operating at the cutting edge with Real-Time
Policing and predictive analysis projects like Project ForeBoDe (Forecast-based
Deployment).
If Smarter Policing is the manner of how the job is done and signifies the
efficient and effective strategies for the industry of law enforcement, then
Principled Policing is what the agency stands for, and is the reason the men
and women of the Stockton Police Department do what they do. There is a
reason these two pillars must stand side-by-side. Law enforcement agencies
must use effective crime fighting strategies that also continue to build trust
within the community.
Principled Policing contains all of the components used to increase the
community’s trust of their police department and officers. Principled Policing
stands upon the premise that law enforcement should be based on its
founding principles. Back in 1829, the Peelian Principles were developed upon
the tenets of police transparency, integrity, and accountability—all critical to
legitimizing policing in the eyes of the public and securing bonds of trust with
the community. These principles apply no less now than they did in 1829.
Over the past six months, the Stockton Police Department Management
Team, with input from the entire Police Department, recently expanded these
pillars into a new Three-Year Strategic Plan, showing that the foundation of
these pillars is strong. Within that Strategic Plan are the goals and objectives
for the Department as it moves forward with 21 st Century Policing and
innovative core initiatives.
01/09/17; author: Eric Jones

January 2017
SPD Mission Statement
“To work in partnership
with our community
to build and maintain
relationships founded
on trust and mutual
respect while reducing
crime and improving
quality of life.”
The Two Pillars
Page 2 of 2
The Stockton Police Department’s 2017-2019 Strategic Plan picks up where
the 2014-2016 plan took the Department as a blueprint, with a revised
mission statement that focuses on building and maintaining relationships
“founded on trust and mutual respect while reducing crime and improving
quality of life.” It is critical that law enforcement officers reduce crime,
especially violent crime while increasing trust within the community. Like the
two policing pillars, they stand together.
The core values of the Department remain integrity, professionalism,
sensitivity, cooperation, and innovation. As listed in the 2017-2019 Strategic
Plan, the goals for the Stockton Police Department are:
Reducing Crime and Blight
Increasing Trust between the Community and Police
Recruiting and Hiring a Qualified and Diverse Workforce
Employing Highly Trained, Knowledgeable, and Prepared Staff
Contact Us@209-937-8377
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Graffiti Hotline: 937-8040
Crime Stoppers: 946-0600
Community Services and
Watch Groups: 937-8208
Code and Blight: 937-8813
Traffic Section: 937-8354
Public Info. Off.: 937-8209
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http://www.stocktonca.gov
Use our Stockton Police
Mobile Phone App
Smarter Policing and Principled Policing are much more than a variety of
programs or projects. As the Strategic Plan illustrates, they are not piecemeal
events or fragmented functions, nor are they actions performed only by
specialized personnel. The pillars are Department-wide and for all staff and
volunteers. The pillars are institutionalized within the agency – such as
through training, policies, and staff evaluations; and operationalized – such as
through the data-driven violence reduction strategies, Neighborhood Impact
Team protocol, Community Advisory Board, and the everyday interactions of
the officers.
The two policing pillars permeate through all levels of the organization. The
pillars are not “one and done” programs, nor are they simply “check the box”
functions, but rather are the way all members of the agency proudly conduct
their business.