Imagine you’re walking through a neighborhood you once knew well. It’s familiar, but something feels different. Maybe it’s the new businesses that have opened up, the way people interact with each other, or how safe—or unsafe—you feel. But here’s the real question: Do you see this neighborhood as a problem that needs fixing, or as a possibility waiting to be realized?
That question is at the heart of Episode 4 of Beyond the Bandaids. In this conversation, the hosts push back against the dominant narrative that pits police and communities against each other. What if the relationship between police and the people they serve wasn’t about solving a crisis, but about creating something better together?
A Different Lens: Seeing the Good
Mike Butler often talks about the lens of goodness. It’s an idea that may sound idealistic in a world driven by bad news, but what if we leaned into it? What if, instead of focusing on what’s broken, we started by asking: What’s already working?
“Communities aren’t problems to be fixed. They are possibilities waiting to be realized. We need to focus on what’s good, what’s working, and how we can expand those strengths to crowd out the things we don’t want.” — Mike Butler
The problem with traditional policing, and with most reform efforts, is that they begin with what’s wrong—crime rates, strained relationships, a lack of trust. But what if real change starts by doubling down on what’s right? There are officers who are already connecting with their communities in meaningful ways. There are neighborhoods where people look out for one another, where local businesses thrive, where public spaces invite connection instead of fear.
Why aren’t we scaling those successes?
Policing as a Partnership, Not a Bandaid
For decades, the approach to public safety has been like slapping a band-aid on a deep wound. A crime wave? Hire more officers. Protests over policing? Implement new policies. But these are surface-level solutions that don’t address the cultural shift needed in both police and the community.
Kristin Daley puts it this way:
“We need to recognize that over-policing and under-supporting communities are two sides of the same coin. Real safety isn’t about reaction—it’s about investment in people, relationships, and long-term solutions.”
The reality is that law enforcement cannot be the default response to every social issue. Homelessness, addiction, and mental health crises require a different kind of intervention—one rooted in support rather than punishment. Yet, officers are often put in impossible situations where they’re expected to be both enforcers and social workers, responding to the same individuals over and over again.
Mike Butler expands on this idea, emphasizing that communities often become unhealthily dependent on police because they don’t realize they have a role to play in shaping public safety.
“Most police departments operate somewhat in a vacuum. They’re faceless in their communities. And communities, for the most part, have taken them up on the offer of ‘Call us for anything.’ That has created an unhealthy dependency.” — Mike Butler
The Cycle of Crisis Response vs. Long-Term Solutions
There’s a moment in the podcast when Mike brings up the frustrating cycle of recidivism—when people cycle through the justice system repeatedly because the underlying issues aren’t being addressed.
“Recidivism rates in the U.S. range from 50 to 70 percent. We looked at hundreds of people we arrested for felony property crimes in one year, and on average, each had been arrested nine times before. By the time we arrested them again, it was their tenth.” — Mike Butler
If we already know that traditional enforcement isn’t working, why do we keep doubling down on it?
The alternative isn’t to ignore crime—it’s to rethink our response. Programs like New Blue’s Care Card initiative show what’s possible when we focus on solutions that address root causes. Instead of defaulting to an arrest, officers connect individuals with the resources they actually need—housing, addiction support, mental health care. And the data shows it works.
Shifting the Conversation: From Fixing to Creating
One of the most thought-provoking ideas in this episode is that problem-solving is often about fixing the past or maintaining the present, but not about creating the future. As Mike puts it:
“When we get into problem-solving mode, we are typically solving the past or the present. We’re doing very little outward-looking towards the future in terms of what the future can look like. And that’s where the word possibility begins to surface.” — Mike Butler
This shift in perspective is what Project PACT is about. It’s not just about policy changes or new programs—it’s about shifting the way we see communities and policing entirely.
A New Way Forward
If there’s one thing this episode makes clear, it’s that policing and public safety need to evolve. Not through reactionary policies or political swings between defunding and overfunding, but through a new framework entirely—one based on trust, partnership, and an expansion of what already works.
Carol Engel-Enright puts it best:
“What if, as we reimagine policing, every citizen felt a true sense of belonging? What if every officer felt like a valued partner in the community rather than an outsider? What if safety wasn’t about enforcement, but about connection?”
It’s not an easy shift. But Project PACT is proving that it’s possible. And it starts with a simple but radical idea:
Communities and police are not problems to be solved. They are possibilities waiting to be explored.
