Here's what Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden hopes to accomplish in first 90 days
As Fayetteville’s new Police Chief Kemberle Braden approaches 30 days in office, the Fayetteville Police Department released a video last week outlining Braden’s plan for his first 90 days as chief. Here’s everything you need to know.
First 30 days: Communication
Braden said in the video that conversations within the department and with community members are a critical part of his first month in office.
“I think that’s the time when we really have to sit there and have crucial conversations,” he said. “The philosophy of ‘seek first to understand’ will play a great role in this zero-to-30-day time period.”
According to the video caption, the new chief plans to spend time with officers on patrol, talk with the department’s employees about any concerns, meet with city staff, and participate in a “Meet the Chief” and Open House event in each of the department’s three police districts.
30 to 60 days: In-depth engagement
Braden said the next part of his plan will incorporate a deeper level of engagement with the community and with department employees.
“I think that’s the part where we start to have more in-depth conversations where we seek input,” Braden said. “Internally, I know there’s processes that our employees would like to see change.”
The caption states that in this phase, Braden will create committees to develop goals based on feedback from within and outside of the department. He will also host a faith forum with community leaders, similar to retired Chief Gina Hawkins’ quarterly Faith Forums, and speak with leaders in local education.
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“Externally, I think we do a good job with community engagement,” he said. “I would like to see a little more community engagement.”
Internally, Braden will also work to create a formal communication plan, according to the video caption.
60 to 90 days: Implementation
Goals will turn into action between Braden’s second to third months in office, according to captions in the video.
“That’s when we actually go into the implementation phase of all the things that we’ve been planning for and talking about,” Braden said.
The new chief said he feels he has a “bit of a headstart” on putting in place any goals the department creates during his first 90 days in office.
“I think that we’ll be well on track to be implementing some of the things that we want to implement at the end of that 90 days,” Braden said.
Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville's new police chief releases 90-day plan
