Dr. Chambliss working toward positive change in policing

Since taking on the role of chief diversity officer of the Alfred State Police Academy last year, Dr. Mel Chambliss has been working hard to make positive changes in the policing profession.

In one recent example, Chambliss served as a panelist during a community police forum at Mansfield University, which “provided an opportunity for the public and police to share concerns, ideas, and recommendations for improving the relationship between the police and the citizens they serve,” according to a description of the event.

Also serving as panelists were Mansfield University Chief of Police and Director of the Mansfield University Police Academy Scott Henry; Tioga County Commissioner and member of the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Advisory Commission Erick Coolidge; Wilmington Delaware Police Retired Lieutenant and Community Policing Expert Dan Selekman; Chief of Wellsboro Police Department Jim Bodine; and Mansfield Borough Council member Will Schlosser. Moderating the panel were the TRIO Director at Mansfield University Kim Shelton, and the Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Council at Mansfield University Nichole Book.

Chambliss noted that he participated in the forum as a representative of two agencies, since he is the chief diversity officer of the Alfred State Police Academy, as well as a member of the Advisory Board and lead collaborator of the Pennsylvania Community Safety Alliance. According to the organization’s website, the goal of the Alliance “is to equip officers in Pennsylvania law enforcement with enhanced skills based in empathy, equity, and human relationship, and to provide the support officers need to ensure that the people of Pennsylvania flourish in safe and secure environments.”

“My goal in working with both organizations is to bring about a change in how police academy participants are educated and given the opportunity better understand their obligation to the communities they serve,” Chambliss said. “I feel by starting with the cadets, we may have an opportunity to reach and influence those who will eventually hire them!”

Speaking about the forum, Chambliss said, “The forum was designed to bring about an open discussion about current events that have littered the news concerning police actions against Black and Brown Americans across the country in both rural and metropolitan communities and how we can best work to change those events. The consensus has been, let us have open and frank discussions to allow us to build better relations! I feel the comments that were received were extremely positive and we have made a big step forward.”

In addition to attending the forum and serving on the Pennsylvania Community Safety Alliance, another way in which Chambliss is helping to bring about positive change in policing is through working with Alfred State Police Academy Session Director Scott Richardson and Assistant Director Kyle Amidon to introduce course materials that emphasize the importance of equity, empathy and human relationships. Chambliss hopes this will allow cadets to have the tools to deal with any situation they may encounter on the job.

Additionally, Chambliss has worked to acquire a virtual reality system that allows instructors to utilize realistic scenarios with their cadets to reinforce information delivered in the classroom, such as encounters with emotionally challenged individuals, traffic stops, and domestic cases.

Alfred State Chief of Staff Wendy Dresser-Recktenwald said, “At Alfred State College, we strive to always be better and do better when it comes to police training.  We have spent a lot of time and research understanding the ‘why’ behind the push to ‘reimagine’ policing.  We believe race, mental illness, and addiction need to be discussed and understood.  We are taking these issues and dealing with them head on in an effort to have well-trained cadets leaving our academy. Dr. Chambliss has taken his job seriously and has been active in forums in Pennsylvania that we don’t have here in New York State.  Our next step is to duplicate what they are doing in Pennsylvania and do some of their hard work here in New York.  If we put the effort into our cadets now, we are going to have a much better law enforcement officer in the future.”