E17 - The Commissioner - An interview with Justin Morgan. A behind the scenes look into the Civilian Police Complaint Commission

This is Episode 17 of the @lets_grab_a_cup podcast - "The Commissioner" - An interview with Justin Morgan. A behind the scenes look into the Civilian Police Complaint Commission.

Justin Morgan was born and raised in Southern California. Justin's mother was a teacher and Justin's entire family history has roots in all forms of politics. Justin attended California State University, Long Beach (where I initially met Justin). Justin majored in education and became a grade school teacher, which he continued for approximately 12 years. Justin attended Pepperdine University and graduated with Honors, and received a certificate of Law in Business from Cornell University.

Justin and his family ventured back to Southern California to continue his roots and was appointed to the Citizen Police Complaint Commission (CPCC) by Mayor Robert Garcia.

As Law Enforcement Officers, we think about the CPCC in very basic terms. The Commission is set up of various appointed citizens to hear complaints from individuals about misconduct of police officers. The Commission makes judgements on the complaints based on the facts presented and provides their judgement to the department. While the CPCC is determining their judgement, the Police Department is performing an internal investigation simultaneously. Many police officers believe that if a complaint lands on the desk of the CPCC, it will likely be sustained because law enforcement officers have a strong belief that the CPCC is "against them". There is a stigma associated with the idea that people who have not experienced the world of law enforcement are making judgements on citizen complaints.

I was very interested to speak to Justin on this topic, because he describes the Commission as a very fair and unbiased entity. This interview provided me so much insight in the behind the scenes of the Commission and ultimately made the idea of a CPCC less "scary" and less "daunting." I believe there is a place for the CPCC and as long as the commission continues to remain unbiased and continues to look at all of the facts while making decisions on various citizen complaints, I believe the officers have nothing to fear from their decisions. If an officer does something that should be addressed, then we should all be comfortable knowing that the commission will address this complaint confidentially and justly.

I really appreciate Justin coming on the podcast and I wish him well on all of his future endeavors.

This podcast is brought to you by Sturgeon Wellness (Intentionality, Authenticity, Resiliency).

I am fully invested in the idea of a transparent, authentic, and intentional type of leader. I believe that we can do better for those we serve and those who serve along-side us. Let's step up by being vulnerable. Vulnerability is the true super-power. My goal is to find the leadership values within each one of us and really dive deep to bring it to the forefront.

Find more on my website - Sturgeonwellness.com or letsgrabacup.com. You can find me @ap_sturgeon and @lets_grab_a_cup on Instagram.

I am happy to hear any suggestions, comments, concerns, and if you would like to be a guest on the show, email me at sturgeonwellness@gmail.com.

Come find me and Let's Grab a Cup together!