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Chapter 19. Conclusion — Identifying and Addressing Challenges and Opportunities What challenges will we face right now? What challenges will we face in the near -term or will they be ongoing? What opportunities exist to advance the agency's mission and provide effective oversight of the police? Any agency, no matter its tenure, will be subjected to many different challenges over the developmental course of its existence. Initially, the agency must build credibility, which requires a great deal of patience and persistence. Staff and volunteers must be well trained. Critics and supporters will need to be informed about the role, authority, and limitations of the model of oversight. Diluted systems should be avoided. Inadequate funding, lack of independence, and the lack of access to critical information will make a skeptical public even more skeptical and will not result in real change in policing. One of the first questions to consider is whether the oversight system will focus on the traditional realm of complaints or if the community sees a broader role for oversight. Many oversight agencies have merged features from the different systems to address their specific needs. Still, if systems are too weak to be effective, they will fail or simply wither before healthy change in police culture can be achieved. It is a good strategy to be known as a creative agency that changes over time to address the current needs of the community. If the investment is made and pays off in improved police performance, it should help identify high -risk law enforcement employees or high -risk areas of operation. Greater confidence in law enforcement also pays off in reduced crime and safer communities, as more people are willing to report crime and testify in criminal cases. All oversight bodies have limited authority and civilian oversight alone cannot ensure police accountability. Genuine change must be seen as desired by law enforcement leadership. And oversight must be seen as contributing to the solution. Additional internal and external mechanisms are needed. Consider characteristics of the population, law enforcement agency being overseen, and local, state, and federal law, among other critical information, when deciding what type of system will best suit a community's unique needs and resources. The 21stAnnual NACOLE Conference in Riverside, California, featured an important session facilitated by principals from the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice, an effort designed to improve relationships and increase trust between communities of color and the criminal justice system. More information about the National Initiative can be found on their website, http://trustandoustice.org. NACOLE 41 65D-170