For too long, we have built a culture of dependency. We have been conditioned to believe that public safety is something done to us, rather than something we create together.
We have been taught that when a problem arises, the only answer is to call the authorities. That the government will fix what is broken. That police are the guardians of order while the rest of us sit back and watch.
That narrative is false.
Communities are not helpless. They are not waiting to be saved. They are not weak.
The time has come to break free from this outdated mindset and reclaim our collective strength. Public safety is not about dependency—it is about ownership, connection, and responsibility.
The Illusion of Authority
For generations, policing in America has been structured around a paternalistic model—one that assumes power and solutions should flow from the top down.
“Police have traditionally been the ones in charge. We define the problem. We create the solution. We execute the plan. And the community stands by and watches.” — Mike Butler
But this model has failed. It has left communities feeling powerless and has placed an unrealistic burden on police to be the sole providers of safety. We have mistaken control for security. We have confused enforcement with engagement.
“Most police departments operate in a vacuum. They say, ‘Call us for anything,’ and communities take them up on that offer. That creates an unhealthy dependency.” — Mike Butler
Real safety does not come from policing alone. It comes from social connection, shared responsibility, and a culture where people see themselves as co-creators of their communities.
The Invitation to Step Forward
Project PACT is built on a simple but radical idea: The future of public safety belongs to all of us.
This means shifting away from a mindset of delegation and stepping into one of participation. It means seeing our neighborhoods not as problems to be fixed, but as possibilities waiting to be realized.
“The shift from dependence to interdependence happens when people stop seeing safety as something government provides and start seeing it as something they actively create.” — Mike Butler
This is not just an idea—it is a movement. One that requires a commitment from every single person in a community.
- It requires police departments to invite communities to the table, not just as bystanders, but as equal partners.
- It requires local governments to trust and empower residents rather than micromanage them.
- It requires individuals to step out of isolation and into connection—to know their neighbors, to care for their streets, and to take responsibility for the place they call home.
What Does This Look Like in Practice?
It looks like neighborhoods where people check on one another. Where a call for help doesn’t just go to 911 but to a trusted neighbor. Where safety is built not through fear and surveillance, but through relationships and mutual investment.
It looks like a world where the metric for policing success isn’t how many arrests were made, but how little police were needed.
“Our goal was simple: We wanted the community to reach a point where they no longer needed us. If we were doing our jobs right, calls for service would go down—not up.” — Mike Butler
This is not wishful thinking. This is a reality that is already unfolding in places where people have taken back the responsibility for their own communities.
The Call to Action: Be More Than a Resident—Be a Creator
It is time to move beyond the passive role of a resident and step into the active role of a creator of your community.
- Know your neighbors. Safety begins with relationships.
- Show up. Attend community meetings. Be part of the conversations that shape your neighborhood.
- Take action. Don’t wait for government to fix what is broken—be part of the solution.
- Invite others in. A connected community is a safer community.
This is not about rejecting policing. It is about elevating community alongside policing to create a model of public safety that is shared, sustainable, and truly just.
We cannot afford to wait for someone else to take responsibility. The power to create safer communities does not belong to a select few. It belongs to all of us.
So the question is not, will things get better? The question is, what are we willing to do to make it happen?
This is our invitation.
