Beyond the Bandaids Podcast Courses

What Culture Should Policing Reflect? Start Here.

By: Mike Butler

When we talk about transforming public safety, we’re not just talking about tactics or technology or programs. We’re talking aboutculture.

The culture within a police department influences everything: how officers treat people, how teams work together, how trust is built in the community. The culture we develop inside police departments should reflect the kind of culture we want to see in our communities.

Here are the key characteristics of that kind of culture, values we believe should be visible, practiced, and sustained in both public safety agencies and the communities they serve:

  • Service
  • Stewardship
  • A Sense of Belonging
  • Chosen Accountability
  • Personal Commitment
  • Sustained Action
  • Social Responsibility
  • Generosity
  • Partnership
  • Ownership
  • Compassion
  • Interdependence

These aren’t just ideals. They’re practical starting points for evaluating how our systems operate and what needs to shift.

Want more tools for creating change within police and community culture?

Sign up for the Project PACT newsletter for weekly updates on our podcast, Beyond the Bandaids, free resources and strategic insights.

Written by: Mike Butler, Co-Founder, Project PACT

Mike Butler was the public safety chief in Longmont, Colorado for 26 years. He reinvented public safety within the context of partnerships and leveraged social capital. During his tenure, Longmont public safety instilled a philosophy that included the utilization of many alternative options to the criminal justice system. Those options embraced the inclusion of tens of thousands of Longmont citizens in response to the social and health issues in Longmont.

Mike is sought by communities throughout the country who want to learn how to rethink and reset their own public safety response to the human condition that resides in their communities.

Schedule a call with Mike