WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK!

While Theodore Roosevelt’s tenure as New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Police Commissioner was brief, it played a significant role in shaping his reputation as a bold reformer and laid the groundwork for modern police accountability. His hands-on leadership style and emphasis on fairness and discipline helped influence his later policies as Governor of New York, Vice President, and ultimately, President of the United States.

However, the greatest lesson we can learn from Roosevelt in advancing policing initiatives may actually come from his advocacy for conservation and the establishment of national parks rather than his time at the NYPD.

In the early 1900s, as the U.S. rapidly expanded and industrial interests were consuming natural resources, it was Roosevelt’s leadership that transformed conservation from a niche cause into a national movement. He used his influence to create the U.S. Forest Service, establish five national parks, 18 national monuments, and 150 national forests - laying the foundation for America’s conservation policies.

Without his leadership at the highest level, much of the nation’s natural beauty might have been lost to unchecked development. Roosevelt’s leadership exemplifies how a key policy-level figure can truly make or break a major initiative and sustain it.

FAST FORWARD MORE THAN A CENTURY

In 2008, after sponsorship from the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) and the local ATF office, the New Jersey Attorney General issued a directive requiring all police departments in the state to collect and input Crime Gun Intelligence (CGI) data on firearms used in crimes.

This directive, among the first of its kind in the U.S., mandated the tracing of recovered firearms through the ATF’s eTrace and the NJ Trace system, checking NCIC for stolen status, and processing fired evidence through ATF’s NIBIN Network to determine if firearms were linked to other crimes.

By 2013, the New Jersey legislature codified this Attorney General directive into law (Public Law 2013 Chapter 162). The NJSP, in partnership with local, county, and federal agencies led the way in planning and implementing processes and policies to meet and exceed the new legal requirements it faced.

By 2023, the results were striking: New Jersey’s gun homicide rate was 59% below the national average. Anyone familiar with this issue in New Jersey understands that this remarkable reduction is due to the incredible collaboration across local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as forensic labs and prosecutorial entities. This success story underscores how policy leadership - at the highest level - can drive real, lasting change.

COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION

Much like advancing a national conservation initiative, tackling violent crime is a complex, national challenge that requires input from a variety of stakeholders. To effectively reduce violent crime, the right mix of participants is essential to plan and implement meaningful improvements. But cooperation alone isn’t enough - true success depends on stronger action, which we can define as collaboration.

Creating sustainable, comprehensive, and timely CGI policies, procedures, and cross jurisdictional initiatives spanning multiple agencies hinges squarely on collaboration. It’s a key ingredient for developing solutions that deliver real, lasting benefits. However, collaboration must be paired with innovation to be effective and long lasting.

Implementing new CGI policies and procedures, rooted in recognized best practices, inherently involves significant organizational change. Innovation plays a critical role in making that change successful - introducing fresh ideas, processes, and approaches that ensure the solution is sustainable over time.

But collaboration and innovation is not intuitive and not for everyone. It requires special people with either incredible influence or incredible authority to advance.

IT TAKES CHAMPIONS AND LEADERS TO DRIVE THIS

There are two types of individuals who can facilitate the collaboration and innovation needed to implement new CGI policies and procedures: Champions and Leaders. Champions advocate for embedding CGI best practices within organizations involved in law enforcement, forensics, or prosecuting armed criminals. They can be found across various levels of these organizations as well as outside them among legislators, interest groups, educators, and solution providers. Champions play a vital role in raising awareness and maintaining momentum for change. However, their ability to enact changes may be limited by their level of authority.

Leaders must be able to carry a big stick, in the figurative sense. You see they are responsible for driving organizational change. They must have the authority to call meetings, approve participation, travel, and expenses, and issue directives resulting from new policy recommendations. Leadership is necessary to disrupt the status quo and effect change.

“If it’s not important to the leadership – it’s not important to the people

on the front line”. ~ Carlos Canino, DAD-National Programs, ATF, 2017

AUTHORITY & RESPONSIBILITY

Innovation depends on leaders with the authority to institutionalize new policies. Without this authority, agreements made at the front line may eventually fade.

Lesson #1 - Sustained improvements rely on formal policies administered through relentless follow-up.

Leadership and authority come with responsibility. Leaders in the criminal justice system are entrusted with public trust and are expected to use their authority to protect and serve the public justly and effectively. Leaders must constantly access what’s working and what’s not. They must reinforce what’s working and fix what’s not.

Lesson #2 – Leaders are responsible to ensure that the people in their organizations have the best training and the most modern tools available to do their jobs most effectively. When competing for resources, leaders must be simultaneously tenacious and tactful in their efforts to get their organization what it needs in terms of people resources, sustainable processes and innovative technology. Leaders must be able to convey the levels of trust required to cultivate champions and leaders from amongst the relevant funding and oversight committees. One way is by demonstrating the value their organizations bring to the public they serve.

Lesson #3 – Leaders are responsible for continuously collaborating and innovating to realize the purpose of their organization’s existence – their “why”. For example, for organizations dedicated to the reduction of gun related violent crime, its the “why” that counts: seeking justice for victims, resolution for their loved ones, and the restoration of sustainable peace for those communities impacted.

In 2023, Glenn Pierce and David Lambert published their NIJ-funded research on a 15-year statewide program designed to enhance investigative leads on crime gun violence. For those looking to champion or lead a robust and effective CGI program - one built on NIBIN, eTrace, and local law enforcement data -this study is a must-read.

Focusing on the NJSP program, the research highlights how a cross-jurisdictional initiative spanning local, state, and federal levels demands collaboration, innovation, and of course strong leadership to succeed.

Here is a look at some of the early mini-initiatives that helped “shock the status quo” and drive meaningful change.

• Mandatory Shooting Reports - A statewide requirement for the reporting of all fatal and non-fatal shootings to ensure accurate data collection, to support statewide analysis to inform command and operational decision-making.

• Enhancement to New Jersey’s NIBIN Program - Expanding the program’s role to include a premonitory, intelligence-driven approach while maintaining its evidentiary integrity.

• Rapid Assessment in NIBIN (RAIN) - Implementing RAIN to cut NIBIN turnaround time, first in the NJSP and then across the state, from 6–10 months to just 24–48 hours, accelerating investigative leads.

• Comprehensive Crime Gun Assessments - Adding forensic evidence collection to the crime gun assessment process prior to NIBIN analysis to improve case outcomes.

• Garden State Ballistic Community of Interest - Established a network of ballistic technicians from the individual labs in the state to promote standardized NIBIN operations, reporting, and ongoing service improvements.

• Statewide Firearm Crime Seminars - Launched a four-part seminar series, hosted by the Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute, to educate forensic experts, law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges on firearm-related laws, RAIN guidelines, and violence reduction initiatives.

• Gun Crime Intelligence Infrastructure - In partnership with the Northern NJ Jersey City-Newark UASI implemented a statewide data system to support intelligence-led policing and effective crime reduction strategies.

ARE YOU A CHAMPION OR A LEADER?

There’s no doubt that Theodore Roosevelt was both a champion and a leader - his legacy proves that lasting, transformational change requires both qualities. His vision, which began with just five national parks, has grown to 63 across 30 states and two U.S. territories. While it’s rare to find one person who embodies both leadership and advocacy, organizations must foster both to drive meaningful, lasting progress.

Over the past 20 years, New Jersey has had its share of leaders and champions in advancing CGI. Their dedication and collaboration have made communities safer, proving that the right mix of vision and action can create lasting impact.

Are you a champion or a leader? Or both?

At the very least, we can all be champions, helping to set the wheels of change in motion. By raising awareness of the benefits of adopting field-tested, policy-driven CGI best practices and ensuring their sustainability through relentless follow-up, we can all contribute to lasting progress.

Better yet - if you’re a criminal justice leader, YOU have the power to make it happen!