Regional police group elects San Luis Obispo chief as chair
San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott.
Chief to represent 13 western states in national organization
– The City of San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott was recently elected as the Mountain Pacific Region Chair for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
“This is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to how highly trusted our City Police Chief is among his peers,” said City Manager Whitney McDonald. “Our community will benefit from Chief Scott’s representation in this highly influential role, which will promote ongoing collaboration between our Police Department and others throughout the Mountain Pacific Region and beyond.”
Chief Scott was elected at the IACP mid-year conference in Orlando, Florida, in late March and will represent Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Hawaii for a term of not less than two years.
“Our delegation will take up important legislative issues that impact effective policing, while looking ahead to prepare for emerging trends in public safety and real-world solutions to problems affecting us all,” he said.
Serving as the City’s Police Chief since May 2021, Chief Scott has focused on community engagement, transparency, and trust. In this new volunteer role, he will present information and regional objectives to increase community safety to IACP President Ken Walker and the States Association of Chiefs of Police (SACOP) executive board.
As California’s appointed delegate to the SACOP section of IACP, Chief Scott will help lead coordination between the separate state police chiefs’ associations to the IACP, creating policy guidance, facilitating dialogue between local, state, and federal partners, providing tools and training, as well as member resources to advance policing.
He says he looks forward to bringing the Mountain Pacific Region together by developing public safety initiatives for our western states to best support local law enforcement and the unique challenges of the home communities they serve.
“Federal funding for local law enforcement and the use of Artificial Intelligence are of paramount concern for our members, regardless of the jurisdiction. We are seeking to identify and support efforts to build trust, address recruiting and retention in policing, and develop policy positions for the ethical and equitable use of present and future use of artificial technologies in policing,” Scott said.
