In a Chicago conference room, around three dozen police captains find themselves engaging in an unusual exercise: they must start a sentence using the last word spoken by their partner. At first glance, the exchanges appear playful and nonsensical, filled with laughter and competitive use of complex vocabulary. However, the exercise reveals its deeper purpose.
Kelly Leonard, guiding the exercise, emphasizes the importance of attentive listening. “Most people tend to stop listening mid-way, like at the elbow of a sentence,” she explains, highlighting how critical information often follows. Police captains, who’ve come from various departments nationwide, nod in understanding. “I definitely do that,” some admit.
The University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Policing Leadership Academy has invited members from The Second City, a notable improv theater, to help teach police leaders through these improv exercises. The goal is to impart skills such as quick thinking, withholding judgment, and fully engaging in listening.
Spanning five months, the academy covers significant topics like data-driven decision-making and aiding officers in handling trauma. “We call it yoga for social skills,” states Leonard, emphasizing the potential these improv skills hold. While not every technique is directly applicable to field situations, improved listening and thoughtful response can enhance leadership qualities, according to Tree Branch from The Second City Works.
Improv’s roots in social work trace back to creator Viola Spolin. Her exercises, originally developed to foster connections among immigrant children in the 1920s, still find relevance today. The Policing Leadership Academy taps into these skills to meet its objectives of boosting community engagement, officer morale, and reducing violence. “We are making the case that you can achieve all three,” says Kim Smith, program director at the Crime Lab.
Working with leaders from departments wrestling with community gun violence, the academy sponsors a week each month in Chicago for this intensive training. Research from the Crime Lab highlights the crucial influence district and precinct captains wield on colleagues, despite often limited leadership training. A precinct’s success in morale, community relations, or crime reduction could falter dramatically with a leadership change, researchers note.
Courses led by experts focus on topics including data use, stress management, creating transparent cultures, and community partnerships. To date, approximately 130 police leaders from 70 departments, including tribal and international forces, have completed the program.
Captain Louis Higginson of the Philadelphia Police Department describes the academy as a comprehensive learning experience, contrasting it with the brief training he received upon his promotion. “I was prompted to rethink things we continue just because they’ve always been done that way,” he says. Practicing improv with his family notably opened up new avenues of communication.
For Albuquerque Police Department Commander Ray Del Greco, the lessons in communication honed during the program continue to resonate. “Leadership requires setting aside ego and listening with genuine intent,” he remarks, valuing this aspect as a major benefit from the class.
The continuity of learning beyond the academy’s end is emphasized by its leaders. Networks are established for ongoing support, captains are encouraged to share their learned skills, and a significant capstone project is mandated to address real issues within their jurisdictions. Some projects have fostered community involvement in crime prevention or piloted innovative technologies.
Stephen Donohue, a captainer from the San Jose Police Department, is creating a system focusing on officer wellness. His program seeks to identify officers overwhelmed by trauma through insights from colleagues, aiming for a comprehensive approach intertwining training, wellness, and internal affairs.
With ambitions for wider application, the academy’s effectiveness is being monitored through rigorous study. Leaders hope that, backed by solid evidence, the program can expand, supported by funders, police departments, or academic institutions. “We pursue scientifically validated curricula to enhance leadership and policing,” Executive Director Meredith Stricker asserts, noting the popularity and impact of the improv component among participants. The ultimate goal is to create better leaders and foster improved policing practices.