An update and introduction from our new Captain Neil Cybulski.

Community Survey

In January I sent out a brief survey to all of you and I enjoyed reading the results to include the messages that many of you provided. I received about 35 responses to the survey which is about 10 percent response rate from this email group. Overwhelmingly I heard how the community wants more police community engagement to include police officers being seen patrolling in neighborhoods and business complexes. I was very happy to receive this feedback and I will be sure to look for ways to provide a genuine community interaction between the police officers and the community we serve.

Neil’s Leadership Style

It all starts with me and I am very aware that my leadership style is the starting point to how I message my priorities to the Lieutenants, Sergeants, Officers, and Professional staff that help make our community safe.

The Team: I am a huge sports fan (mostly football) and I think about inspirational speeches from coaches and players in my life that motivated a team to accomplish a common goal. One speech in particular talks about “the team” and how it takes everyone on that team to work together to accomplish a goal. I find ways to value every member of my team and rely on their strengths while challenging them in ways to seek improvement. I believe that there is not one person on the team that is greater than the team as a whole. I stand by this idea and use this as my basis for how I develop and grow my team to be the best they can be. I also use this as a model for our team in the community. I know there are many people in our community that share the same goals and it takes all of us to work together to accomplish these goals. I promise to hold myself and my team accountable, I ask that you join me in holding each other and the police department accountable for everything that we do.
One of my goals this year is to make sure that our officers know they have support from the police leadership and the community. The last few years have been challenging and I will always look for ways to connect our officers with the community in a genuine way so we can continue our amazing partnership and get to know each other better each day.

On the Horizon

I have an amazing opportunity to attend the Policing Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago Crime Lab. Our cohort of 35 police leaders throughout the country meet one week a month for 5 months. We are introduced to theory and evidence-based practices, with the goal of cultivating creative, critical thinkers who are tasked with addressing high crime and violence reduction efforts in the communities we serve. The academy brings in national subject-matter experts to examine a wide range of opportunities for the modern police leader, including evidence-based crime reduction practices, wellness, conflict, and trust building, with a strong affinity toward practical application. I have selected a topic for my capstone project that will be presented and analyzed for effectiveness that I plan to bring back to Sacramento and implement in our community. I am in the beginning stage of my project and once it is approved I will share an overview of my project and how I plan to implement it in our community. I am excited for this opportunity to learn and grow as a police leader while challenging myself to find innovative ways to address crime in our community.

I have enjoyed attending many community meetings throughout North Sacramento and getting to know many of the neighbors and business owners. Getting out of my office and finding ways to connect with people in the community is important to me so please do not hesitate to share an invitation to a community event, ribbon cutting, or just to have a cup of coffee at one of our local shops.

I will be sure to share the amazing efforts of our officers in my next email. Stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.