Officer Wellness Archives

Is Facebook Police Friendly?

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) sought to honor an East Peoria, Illinois police officer as its “Most Outstanding Officer of the Year.” The ILACP posted this honor on their Facebook Page. Is Facebook police friendly and supportive of such a posting? It would seem not. The ILACP has reported that Facebook has blocked the association’s ad on the social media giant seeking to promote their post. Why? Secure 1776 shares what we have learned. [Click the link to read more | 4 Jul 2024]

Is Chicago a Hadleyville? There are warning signs.

The greatest warning that Secure 1776 can associate with a community is that it is becoming a “Hadleyville.” What is a “Hadleyville?” Thomas Lemmer was the first to speak about Hadleyvilles in his 2015 article “It’s High Noon for American Policing.” Is Chicago a Hadleyville? To begin to answer this question, let’s consider three recent articles on policing and crime in Chicago. [Click the link to read more | 26 Jul 2021]

“The way forward must be one with broad outreach across community partners. As a community, we need our elected and civic leaders to foster unifying approaches that advance constitutional policing, reduce violence, address chronic crime conditions, improve public safety, protect victims, foster wellness, and enhance community support for the police. Those seeking and participating in police reform efforts must not lose sight of these core elements. As a profession, it is essential that we fully reawaken our community policing roots, and engage in active problem-solving directly with all community residents and stakeholders. Policing must honestly seek to reach the hearts and minds of the community and call them to action. If we seek to regain the support necessary for our police departments to meet their public safety mission – the voices of support for the police must be heard from across the community of us.”

— Thomas J. Lemmer