R Street Institute

Policy Studies Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

R Street Short No. 70: Policing Requires An ‘Epic’ Shift

by SteVon Felton
April 10, 2019
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Key Points

Top-down approaches to criminal justice reform, while helpful and necessary in some instances, are ultimately less effective than internal shifts championed by departments.
Repairing issues of community trust requires police departments to address instances of misconduct and limited transparency. By training law enforcement to recognize elements of misconduct and encouraging officers to intervene, EPIC helps law enforcement better achieve their goals of officer and public safety.
More than simply chastising misconduct, EPIC works to redefine essential notions of loyalty, officer wellness and policing philosophy.

Effective and lasting reform requires a closer connection between officers and policymakers. If this disconnect is to be resolved, each stakeholder, including officers, must recognize that they are working toward the same goals of public safety and police well-being. EPIC provides departments a sense of peer responsibility, and outlines proper training methods to recognize and react to indicators of mental illness. Peer intervention in policing is far from unpopular.

Press release: R Street Short No. 70: Policing Requires An ‘Epic’ Shift

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