For the past two years, the Lethbridge Police Service has been implementing the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) program within its ranks.
The American program, created at Georgetown University, intends to create a culture promoting accountability and officer wellness within law enforcement.
“ABLE’s based on three different pillars,” said Catherine Pooley, program manager with the LPS’ victim/witness services unit and a program instructor.
“We’re looking to reduce misconduct, reduce mistakes and look at mental health and well-being.”
The program wants to achieve those goals by fostering a work environment where officers can intervene — or accept those interventions — to prevent misconduct.
“Misconduct and mistakes often stem out of poor mental health or something challenging the mental health, so the more work we can do at that ground level to support our officers, the less likely we are to see any mistakes or misconduct,” Pooley said.
“Often times when we think of accountability, it’s a always a negative thing and it feels like a top-down word,” said Const. Allister Koop, an LPS officer and ethics instructor in the program.
“I think what ABLE teaches is mutual and peer-to-peer accountability, which I think is a lot more positive way to do things.”
LPS is the first Canadian police agency to use the program, instructors spent the first year training officers and are now gathering information on its efficacy.
“The opportunity to have some really authentic conversations with our members, we’ve been able to talk about some really difficult things in policing and approach it at a grassroots level, so we’re looking after each other,” Pooley said.
Currently, 162 LPS officers and all community peace officers have received ABLE training.
According to instructors, it’s still too early in the program to understand the effect it’s having within the service, but the current outlook is positive.
“It’s the stories that aren’t told that’s the success of ABLE,” Koop said.
“Quantifying it is always difficult, but if we can increase mental health and lower (police service regulation) investigations, misconducts and mistakes, that’s going to be really important.”
LPS will be recertifying members and implementing ABLE into areas like use of force and firearms training as the program continues.