Police Reform Resources

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Community Police Advisory Team:


During the summer and fall of 2020, the Burlington City Council, City Manager, and other staff have been working with the community to draft a charter for the Community Police Advisory Team (CPAT).  

On November 17, 2020, Burlington City Council approved the charter for the Community Police Advisory Team (CPAT). CPAT will advise the City of Burlington Police Department by working with the City Manager and the Police Chief. The City of Burlington and the Burlington Police Department embrace community policing and transparency. We’re looking for informed, engaged Burlington residents willing to help us ensure we are achieving our goals and meeting the needs of our community.

HOW TO APPLY

You can Apply to be a member of Burlington Community Police Advisory Team online or you may pick up a paper application at the Municipal Building at 425 S. Lexington Ave. You can also request to have one mailed to you by emailing or calling Rebecca Steciw at rsteciw@burlingtonnc.gov or (336) 229-3540. 

FINAL CPAT CHARTER

You can access and review the FINAL Approved CPAT Charter. This version was reached after input from various community members, including the city manager, and the police department. 


The Burlington Police Department is committed to transparency with the community. In order to fulfill that commitment, we have shared here some of the many ways the department is working to be the best department it can be and to continue to improve. We have formed the Community Police Advisory Team (CPAT) as described above. We have also included the chief's response to various community inquiries regarding elements of police reform. Also included are examples of the response from some of the organizations that the department is associated with or other law enforcement organizations in North Carolina. If you have any questions, you may contact the admin assistant at (336) 229-3540.

Community Response from burlington police department 


The murder of George Floyd sparked a robust and meaningful conversation about reforming policing around the nation and world. The Burlington Police Department is committed to being a part of that conversation and stands with our community. As part of that commitment, the chief and the department responded to several community inquiries as they were received about various elements of police reform being discussed. You can view those questions and their responses below: 
chief smythe holding end police brutality protest sign

A Meaningful Sign:


On May 31, 2020, a peaceful gathering occurred in North Park in response to the murder of George Floyd. Someone gave Chief Smythe a sign, which read "End police brutality", and he carried it proudly. He brought the sign to Headquarters so other officers could express their solidarity with those who protest the killing of George Floyd and all police brutality. Many on duty today took a moment to proudly do just that.

ACCREDITATION FOR POLICE DEPARTMENTS 


Accreditation holds police departments to a set of standards and guidelines. You can find out more about CALEA and what it is and why it matters.

The Burlington Police Department was first accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc, (CALEA) in April, 1989. The agency has maintained accredited status, in good standing, for the last 27 years and was re-accredited with Advanced Gold Standard at the March 2017 conference. We are currently wrapping up our review for 2020. Learn more

There are nearly 18,000 eligible law enforcement agencies (local, state, and federal in the United States) that could choose to be accredited. For a variety of reasons, only 726, or approximately 4%, of those law enforcement agencies are currently accredited in the US. The Burlington Police Department meets 100% of CALEA  accreditation standards and earned the “Gold Standard in Public Safety.”

NCDOJ weighs in 


The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Commission and the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission recently published a press release about the work they are doing to provide high quality training and standards for law enforcement officers in North Carolina. You can read the full press release here.

NACOLE:


Members of the City of Burlington Administration and City of Burlington Police Department joined NACOLE (National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement) to continue to learn and practice the leading methods in community engagement.  

PSA FROM THE NC ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE:

The executive committee of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police (NCACP) produced a public service announcement to help illustrate what police agencies are currently doing or have done in the area of police reform and training.

The intent of this PSA is to inform the public of the years of hard work of the NCACP on police reform led by this association. Learn more here

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