What would an ideal police department look like if it were designed by women in law enforcement? That is what fifty women (and a few men) came together to talk about at a think tank sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation’s National Center for Women and Policing. The think-tank is part of the Foundation’s Police Leadership in the 21st Century program, which will continue with a conference next March, 1997 in Anaheim, California.

The three-day retreat in Palm Desert, California, which included police chiefs, police officers, policing consultants, community activists, and public officials, was designed to get participants thinking about "redesigning policing from the ground up," said Penny Harrington, Director of the National Center for Women and Policing and former police chief of Portland, Oregon. "We talked about what we could do if we had no barriers, like money or politics."

What emerged was a new vision of a police department that would be accountable to the community, and police officers who were skilled in communication and problem-solving. The group came up with a list of words describing the ideal police officer. The list did not include words that male police officers might have used, such as "brave," "loyal," or "strong." Instead, the ideal police officer is "community-oriented," "people-oriented," and "ethical."

"Our society is still caught up in the idea that a police officer is a big, macho person who saves others," said Harrington. "But policing is about problem-solving. Women see they can get a lot done using the skills they tend to excel in."

The participants also strongly emphasized the idea that police officers must listen to what the community needs, and be accountable for those needs. Too often, according to Harrington, "police have become very arrogant. They think they are above the law, and they know what’s best. That’s why the concept of community policing was developed. But the think-tank participants go farther — not only do we need to bring the community in, but we need to be accountable to the community. These women understand community policing at the gut level," Harrington continued. "It’s the way they do policing."

One of the barriers to implementing these ideas is the militaristic training most police officers receive. The think tank particpants proposed replacing the hodge-podge of police training, some of which resembles "boot camp," with state "Police Institutes" where students would be taught not only by other police officers, but also by educators and academics. "We need teachers who have developed programs in communication, or hostage negotiations, and who have the psychological background in these areas," said Harrington. "This would keep us on the cutting edge of social science research."

The participants are now planning to write up some of their ideas for publication in police magazines as well as daily newspapers. Future think tanks will discuss topics such as recruiting and mentoring women police officers.