SLO police chief elected to leadership role in international police association
San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott has been elected to represent 13 Western states as a regional chair of an international police chief association.
Scott was elected last month to serve as the Mountain Pacific Region chair for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, according to a city news release on Monday.
The association is a nonprofit made up of 34,000 members in more than 170 countries. It’s a “recognized leader in global policing, committed to advancing safer communities through thoughtful, progressive police leadership,” the website said.
Scott was elected to represent Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming for at least two years, the news release said.
He will present information and regional objectives to increase community safety to association president Ken Walker and the States Association of Chiefs of Police.
“This is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to how highly trusted our city police chief is among his peers,” San Luis Obispo City Manager Whitney McDonald said in the release. “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.”
Scott was also appointed as California’s delegate for the States Association, where he will help lead create policy guidance, provide tools and training, connect local, state and federal partners and coordinate between the separate state police chief associations to the international association.
Scott’s focus in San Luis Obispo since he became police chief in 2021 has been community engagement, transparency and trust, the release said.
“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,” Scott said in the release.
Scott hopes to bring the police chiefs in the region he represents together by developing public safety initiatives for Western states to best support law enforcement challenges in the 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,” Scott said in the release. “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.”
