New Blue addresses dual realities: that our communities have lost trust in the police, and that policing is a difficult job. We believe that in order to establish trust, police and their communities need to work together to develop a shared vision of public safety and take shared responsibility for implementing that vision. That starts with police listening to their communities, investing time into learning what their communities need and want from police. New Blue serves as an incubator for forward-thinking officers to engage with their communities on a deeper level and develop solutions to address the most pressing challenges the people in their own neighborhoods are facing. We give them the foundational skills, the research team, the network of experts and like minded peers. We help them develop the solution and we give them the tools they need for successful implementation.

Our amazing co-founders, Andy Saunders and Brittany Nestor, served as partners right out of the Police Academy. After two years, Andy decided to leave policing; Brittany stayed. They lost touch for ten years, then, in 2020, George Floyd was murdered and the national policing crisis that had been bubbling under the surface of public consciousness for so long exploded. Andy reached out to Brittany, and they teamed up to begin creating New Blue. It went through a few different iterations before landing on the fellowship for officers and their ideas. In 2021, Andy, Brittany and I met through an MIT Solve: Reimagining Policing Incubator—I was so excited by New Blue’s potential, particularly by the idea of active officers transforming the system from within the ranks. That’s unique in the world of police reform, where I’d spent over 15 years. So I joined New Blue’s board, and when it was time to bring on the first Executive Director, I jumped at the chance. That moment in 2020 was a public reckoning, and it’s become a sustained movement for better, more ethical policing practices. New Blue is a visionary organization in recognizing that current officers have the power to create the change in collaboration with their communities.

The biggest challenge in policing as we see it is the current recruitment and retention crisis. How do we make policing an appealing career to people with the right mindset, who truly view this as a career of public service? How do we keep good officers in a career that is so taxing, emotionally and physically, on top of being a profession that’s not held in high regard by the public right now, and that’s immersed in a systemic culture desperately in need of change? New Blue’s answer to this is the upcoming launch of our Recruitment Task Force, a specialized program track targeted to police recruiters that will focus on the newest generation to enter the workforce and how we can make policing an appealing and legitimate career path for them.

We want to maximize our opportunities and develop lasting partnerships with thought leaders in this space—some partners and organizations that have made a significant impact on New Blue are the 30x30 Initiative, the National Policing Institute… but honestly, the leaders who inform our work the most are the officers who participate in the fellowship, and the instructors who give so generously of their time. Building a broad network of police leaders—of all ranks—and helping them solidify connections with each other is the foundation of New Blue. We know there are good police out there with amazing ideas for their departments and communities, and we know it’s not always easy to be the person pushing for change. So the officers we work with, who are creating and implementing these revolutionary solutions, are the ones informing our work every day.

All of our fellows are outstanding. In 2022, a group of officers at Evanston (IL) Police Department collaborated on a capstone project which aims to keep people out of the criminal legal system by providing resources. The officers collaborated with local community groups to create a protocol for asking jailed individuals what their needs are, and efficiently connecting community members to services that alleviate those needs and prevent recidivism. The project—Community’s All In Recidivism (CAIR) Card—has been highlighted by their chief of police, and the officers recently presented on CAIR Card before the City Council. It’s a program that absolutely helps to build trust with the community, and aims to treat people with empathy and dignity. It truly exemplifies New Blue’s values and the kind of officers we want to work with, develop, and help keep in the job.