Do you agree and why please provide references too support your opinion. Community policing is a proactive, collaborative approach to help prevent crime." (What Is Community Policing? 2024). The concept of community policing is that the police and the community must work together in order to be successful. There has to be a certain level of trust. Three main elements in community policing are partnership between law enforcement and the community, proactively solving problems in the community, and organizational change. When implementing strategies in the community, law enforcement should seek out the advice and ideas of the people that live in the community. Whether it is a town hall, church, school, or neighborhood watch meeting. Law enforcement must be proactive in preventing crime rather than being reactive in responding to it. One of Robert Peel's principles in measuring success of law enforcement is the absence of crime rather than the job you do responding to it. Lastly, law enforcement must be flexible. They must not only be willing to hear citizens' complaints and concerns, but also put forward a plan of action to address those complaints and concerns. Whether it is modifying an approach, disciplining officers, or providing full transparency. The local police news story I selected is from Fairfax County Virginia. Fairfax County Police Department is the main law enforcement agency in the county. They maintain their own police academy. Herndon Virginia is a small town within Fairfax County and has a small police department. Herndon PD recently joined the Fairfax County academy as a member agency. The director of the Fairfax Academy is Major Wilson Lee. He is a Chinese American whose legal given name is Lee Wai-Shun. Major Lee signs all academy issued certificates in Chinese. Herndon's Police Chief Maggie DeBoard took issue with this and responded in an email saying "I just found out that the academy graduation certificates were signed by you in some other language, not in English. This is unacceptable for my agency. I don't want our Herndon officers to receive these and I am requesting that they are issued certificates signed in English, the language that they are expected to use as an officer." (Chinese Signatures on Graduation Certificates Upset Northern Virginia Police Chief, 2024). Shortly thereafter, the county's deputy director for safety and security, Thomas Arnold, informed Chief DeBoard that Herndon PD affiliation with Fairfax County's training academy had been terminated. In response to Chief Deboard's comments, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis sent an email to his officers supporting Major Wilson. "For 16 years of an impeccable career, memorializing a legal name given at birth with a signature that exudes heritage pride has not garnered a single criticism. Nor should it." (Chinese Signatures on Graduation Certificates Upset Northern Virginia Police Chief, 2024). My perception of Chief DeBoard's comments is that she was clearly racially insensitive. Not just the fact that she took issue with it, but her tone and choice of words leads me to believe that there is a deeper-rooted issue. I arrived at this conclusion because one can sign their name however they choose, it is their mark. As a Chinese American, one can understand why Major Lee chose to sign his name in Chinese. The rest of the certificate was in English. It does not seem to have been an issue up until this point, but as she sends her very first class of police recruits to the Academy, it is now apparently an issue. On a personal note, I have been to Fairfax County's police Academy for training and have received a certificate with Major Lee's signature written in Chinese. (See below) I saw no issue with it, I actually thought it was kind of cool. I applaud the leadership of Chief Davis. Not only did he stand up and support his subordinate, but also let his officers and the public know this is not what they stand for. I believe this helps community relations for Chief Davis but not Chief DeBoard. I think it is also noteworthy that according to a recent census, Fairfax County has a Chinese population of almost 20%. (Virginia Chief Requests Police Academy Graduation Certificates Be Re-signed in English, n.d.) References What Is Community Policing? (2024, May 13). What Is Community Policing? https://online.wilson.edu/resources/what-is-community-policing/ Chinese signatures on graduation certificates upset northern Virginia police chief. (2024, April 1). Chinese signatures on graduation certificates upset northern Virginia police chief. https://wtop.com/fairfax-county/2024/04/chinese-signatures-on-graduation-certificates-upset-northern-virginia-police-chief/ Virginia chief requests police academy graduation certificates be re-signed in English. (n.d.). Virginia chief requests police academy graduation certificates be re-signed in English. Retrieved May 13, 2024, from https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/virginia-chief-requests-police-academy-graduation-certificates-be-re-signed-in-english/3563176/