Manning Kass

Constitutional Policing

Manning Kass’s Constitutional Policing team brings together a wealth of experience in defending and advising law enforcement agencies across the country. We offer the experience of a team of several current and retired law enforcement executives who understand the urgency for police chiefs to provide constitutional policing to their communities. 

Constitutional policing is legal policing with an understanding of the value of community engagement and protection of civil rights of all people. Law enforcement agencies must follow the United States Constitution, state constitutions, court decisions, and other federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Our team works with law enforcement agencies who are committed to re-examining policies and organizational practices to reduce community concerns, foster trust within communities, and develop strategies to enhance local policing with the best practices and training.

The Constitutional Policing team blends legal and law enforcement experience to provide the best advice on policies, procedures and operations to ensure that an agency’s culture is engaged in current constitutional practices. We recommend best practices and assist in reviewing critical uses of force, including in-custody incidents, deadly force encounters, and other significant critical events. The team will also provide the most effective policing models in organizational competencies, de-escalation training, and administrative review processes. 

In order to ensure that an agency is complying with the law and adhering to the standards placed by their community, we offer the following assessments and training services:

  • Force encounter & de-escalation assessments
  • Administrative process reviews
  • Cultural competence & community engagement strategies 
  • Organizational assessments
  • Executive leadership training
  • Policy analysis and recommendations 
  • Frontline & supervisor leadership training
  • Strategic plan creation
  • Research and analysis with regard to precedents, case trends, rulings, and laws

Human Resource/Human Capital Management

  • Hiring (from recruiting to end of probation)
  • Job classification/essential functions
  • Performance evaluation
  • Employee wellness
  • Fitness for duty
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Accountability

  • Internal Affairs - intake, investigation, disposition, grievance, arbitration
  • Early intervention
  • Settlement agreement/consent decree compliance
  • Ethics
  • Personnel policies including:
    • Prohibited relationships
    • Social media
    • First Amendment
    • Drug and alcohol use (including marijuana/CBD)

Support Services/Technology

  • High level technology overview
  • File/document organization (department-wide)
  • Process standardization
  • Digitization of paper documents (e.g. personnel files, IA files)
  • Public Disclosure
  • Evaluating and selecting new technology (IA/EIS systems, RMS, body worn cameras, gunshot detection)
  • Management and review of body worn camera footage
  • Lean process mapping (to simplify/streamline department processes)

Police executives willing to promote constitutional policing and engage in organizational assessments are sending a strong message they are willing to enhance policing practices to foster a culture of respect for all members of their community.