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OGDEN — Weber State University police completed a national certification program designed to strengthen a culture of peer accountability within police departments.
Through the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement training, or ABLE, WSU's 12 officers learned strategies to prevent misconduct, avoid mistakes and improve overall accountability to the community.
Georgetown University Law Center launched the program in 2021 to teach officers ways to step in when they see misconduct, inspired by officer-involved critical incidents and acts of misconduct like the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020.
WSU police continually seek training and education to remain trustworthy, Chief Seth Cawley said. He added that completing the certification course represents a longstanding effort to improve police-community relations and provide more tools to help officers serve.
"We want to ensure officers are well-prepared to serve and safeguard the campus community as a whole, but with the utmost diligence and competence. And that's where the training comes in to make sure we're providing our officers with the tools necessary to do the job," Cawley said.
Utah is one of 42 states with police departments that have completed Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement training, with WSU joining more than 350 other law enforcement agencies across the country. Cawley said WSU followed in the footsteps of Utah State University and that other universities in the state are also pursuing the certification.
'We're building something bigger'
Cawley said the certification involved an extensive process that included receiving letters of recommendation from the university president and other community partners, developing a training plan, implementing a committee to annually review the department's conduct, and attending an eight-hour training in Salt Lake City. That training will have to be reviewed annually to ensure the officers stay up-to-date.
"It really provides the officers with the knowledge and skills that will empower them to effectively intervene and address complex situations," Cawley said. "ABLE certification allows us to provide our officers with that training … while also upholding the safety and well-being of our entire campus community."
He said his goal as an officer, even before becoming a chief, was to bridge the general historic mistrust between communities and police departments.
"I wanted to make sure the community not only felt safe but felt represented," Cawley said. "It's the dedication to safety on our campus that we're most excited about, and making sure that we provide them with the best service and the most diligent and competent service that they can get."
He said the next step for WSU police, post-certification, will be working on "fostering an environment of accountability" along with "responsibility and proactive engagement." The department has established a community committee to provide suggestions for keeping the campus safe, along with planning service projects and acts of charity for the department to get more involved in the community.
"We feel like if we can get to know the community in the good times, then when times are bad, we will have built that trust," Cawley said. "They'll trust us enough to report when bad things happen, but they'll also know we are trained and we'll do the right thing."
"We're building something bigger," Cawley added.
