Neighborhoods Becoming: Lessons in Safety, Trust, and Belonging
A four-part series inspired by the work of Longmont Public Safety Part 1: Safety Is What Belonging Feels Like đź“– Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes Key Ideas: True safety comes from belonging, not just lower crime rates. As neighbors connect, police presence becomes...
Neighborhoods Becoming: Lessons in Safety, Trust, and Belonging – Part 2
A four-part series inspired by the work of Longmont Public Safety Part 2: The Slow Work That Lasts 📖 Estimated Reading Time: 3–4 minutes Key Ideas: Neighborhood transformation is slow and shaped by residents, not prescriptions. Officers as conveners and encouragers,...
Neighborhoods Becoming: Lessons in Safety, Trust, and Belonging – Part 3
A four-part series inspired by the work of Longmont Public Safety Part 3: From Dependency to Interdependence đź“– Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes Key Ideas: Many neighborhoods began in dependency, expecting safety to be delivered. With encouragement, residents...
Neighborhoods Becoming: Lessons in Safety, Trust, and Belonging – Part 4
A four-part series inspired by the work of Longmont Public Safety Part 4: Twelve Strategies Police Departments Can Take to Transform Neighborhood Safetyđź“– Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutesKey Ideas:Safety grows through intentional, relationship-based practices.Twelve...
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Policing: Questions We Can’t Ignore
I’ll be the first to admit: I don’t know enough about Artificial Intelligence (AI), let alone Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). But I know enough to sense that it will influence nearly every aspect of our society — including policing, the justice system, and the...
From Ego to EQ: How Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Transforms Policing
In policing, the “command and control” approach tends to carry weight. It’s the default style of leadership, and policing is a profession mired in tradition, at times resistant to change. As agencies modernize, good leaders understand that while being that loudest...
Longmont Leader: Outgoing Public Safety Chief Butler outlines qualities needed in next department leader
"This list of attributes takes into consideration what is believed would best serve our city, a community that is diverse and growing in complexity. They were designed in consideration of our history, our present and our hopeful destiny." In January of 2020, I...
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 to Start Changing Police and Community Culture
By: Mike Butler If we want public safety to truly serve our communities, we have to look beyond policies and into culture: how people communicate, make decisions, and build trust. At Project PACT, we offer step-by-step, practical strategies to shift police and...
Seeing Through the Lens of Goodness: A New Way Forward for Policing and Communities
For decades, policing and community relationships have been defined by problems to be solved. Crime, disorder, and mistrust have been approached as issues that require fixes—more policies, tougher laws, new programs. But what if we’ve been looking at this all wrong?...
Redefining the Role of Police: From Enforcers to Community Partners
Policing in America has long been defined by enforcement. The image of the officer as a law enforcer—detached, reactive, and primarily responding to crime—has shaped hiring practices, training programs, and public expectations. But as we look at the past, present, and...
Rethinking Justice: Moving Beyond Punishment to Community Healing
Our justice system is stuck in an outdated cycle of retribution. When harm occurs, we focus almost entirely on punishment—longer sentences, tougher laws, and more aggressive policing. But here’s the hard truth: punishment does not equal justice. It does not make...
The Accountability Shift: Moving Beyond Policies to a Culture of Responsibility
For decades, the conversation about accountability in policing has followed the same pattern: pass more laws, enforce more policies, demand compliance, and call it reform. But what if accountability isn’t something that can be imposed from the outside? What if it must...
Beyond the Bandaids: The Future of Law Enforcement: Control vs. Collaboration
For generations, the role of law enforcement has been framed as a necessary force of control—officers tasked with enforcing the law, maintaining order, and ensuring compliance. But is that the best way forward? Project PACT challenges this traditional approach,...
Reimagining Policing: A Future We Can Create Together
Imagine a world where policing doesn’t start with enforcement but with connection. Where officers aren’t seen as outsiders but as trusted members of the community. Where safety isn’t measured by crime statistics but by belonging, well-being, and trust. This isn’t a...
Beyond the Bandaids: Reimagining Policing: A Future We Can Create Together
Imagine a world where policing doesn’t start with enforcement but with connection. Where officers aren’t seen as outsiders but as trusted members of the community. Where safety isn’t measured by crime statistics but by belonging, well-being, and trust. This isn’t a...
Beyond the Bandaids: From Dependence to Interdependence: Building Stronger Communities Together
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....
Beyond the Bandaids: Rethinking Public Safety Through Possibilities, Not Problems
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...
Beyond the Bandaids: Breaking Free from the Refund/Defund Cycle
For decades, policing has been caught in a political tug-of-war. One moment, cities are slashing budgets and scaling back enforcement. Next, they’re pumping money back into departments, expecting different results. This reactionary cycle—defund, refund, repeat—has...
Reimagining Police Culture: A Roadmap for Meaningful Change
We can all appreciate what has been done to date in our attempts to reimagine, transform, or reset what is happening in our police profession. New policies, new practices, and new technology have indeed brought about needed changes. As far as we’ve come, we believe we...
Beyond the Bandaids: Rethinking Policing Through History and Philosophy
Policing in America has long been shaped by policies designed to solve social issues through enforcement. But what if we reimagined public safety as a shared responsibility rather than a reactive system? In Episode 2 of Beyond the Bandaids, Chief Mike Butler, Dr....
The Future of Policing: Reform, Responsibility, and Community Healing
The various roles of the police in our country are subject to the ebbs and flows of political will and, quite often, the quick knee-jerk reactions of the media, elected officials at all levels, citizens in our communities, and others who believe they are legitimate...
Beyond the Bandaids: Introducing a New Vision for Public Safety
Welcome to Beyond the Bandaids with Project PACT—a podcast dedicated to moving beyond surface-level fixes in public safety and fostering real, lasting change. Hosted by Dr. Carol Engel-Enright, Chief Mike Butler, and Kristin Daley, this podcast brings together police,...