Interior Department plans to Hold 12 Listening Sessions on Strengthening public trust in the law enforcement department

The Department of the Interior recently announced that it will hold 12 listening sessions to solicit feedback on how to increase public confidence and trust in the Department’s law enforcement programs, establish adequate policy and supervision, and ensure supportive resources for officer mental health, wellness, and safety. The Department’s Law Enforcement Task Force will solicit public feedback in order to influence its work and guide the country into a new age of community-focused law enforcement.

The Task Force was established last year by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland with the purpose of achieving the highest levels of public safety while also offering policy advice, resources, and training to agency staff.

“The Department of the Interior has a unique opportunity through the Law Enforcement Task Force to be a national leader in community-focused law enforcement and a model of how to build trust and collaboration between law enforcement and the public that they serve,” said Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau. “These listening sessions will be critical as the Department works to ensure the highest standards for protecting the public and provide policy guidance, resources, and training to our cherished law enforcement officers.”

President Biden issued an Executive Order on Promoting Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Improve Public Trust and Safety on May 25, 2022.

This EO “will enhance public trust by promoting accountability, transparency, and the principles of equality and dignity in policing.” The Department’s Law Enforcement Task Force is working to support the President’s direction.

The task force, led by Deputy Secretary Beaudreau and made up of law enforcement representatives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and the DOI Office of Law Enforcement and Security, has been hard at work over the last year to define the project’s scope, ensure equity in all of its work, and develop outreach and data collection strategies.