How Activist Can Adopt The Higher Standards, Safer Streets Act
Grassroots movements and activists actually have a massive advantage with this policy because they don’t need to wait for politicians in Washington to get their act together. Police departments are funded, managed, and overseen at the local level. That means the real power to change things sits right in your own backyard with your mayor, city council, and local police chief.
Here is the practical playbook for how everyday people and local organizers can get the Higher Standards, Safer Streets Act passed in their own cities:
Follow the money to push for malpractice insurance To get the mandatory personal liability insurance passed, activists need to follow the money. Most taxpayers have no idea how much their city is secretly paying out for police misconduct settlements. Organizers can file public records requests to uncover exactly how much of the city budget—money that should be going to schools or fixing roads—is being drained to pay for bad cops. Once those numbers are public, activists can pack town hall meetings and demand that the city council rewrite police contracts to make officers carry their own personal liability insurance. It’s an easy, winning pitch to voters: stop making taxpayers foot the bill for police mistakes.
Pressure the city council to raise hiring standards To get the constitutional education mandate passed, activists can directly challenge their local city council’s hiring rules. Right now, most places only require a high school diploma or a GED to become a cop. Grassroots groups can pressure local leaders to raise that minimum standard so that recruits must pass college-level constitutional law classes before they ever get a badge. Since police departments already spend millions reimbursing cops for college after they’re hired, activists can demand the city simply move that money to the front end to pay for these classes upfront, ensuring lower-income recruits aren’t priced out of the job.
Push the police chief on burnout and beat limits For the 10-year limit on street patrol, the main target is the local police chief. Activists can push the chief to update the department’s internal policies to prevent officer burnout and build better community relations. By framing this 10-year cap as a smart, necessary management strategy to keep cops sharp, prevent complacency, and force them to grow into leadership roles, it becomes a highly practical reform that local leaders can’t easily argue against.
Ultimately, grassroots movements can make this Act a reality by organizing locally and making it a major election issue. By challenging mayoral and city council candidates on the campaign trail and refusing to vote for those who won’t support these three pillars, everyday citizens can completely overhaul their local police department from the ground up.