Fremont Police Chief Sean Washington on how a Youth Advisory Board builds trust through transparent communication

The death of George Floyd in 2020 from the unlawful actions of a Minneapolis police officer sparked the largest protests in U.S. history – resulting in the erosion of community trust in law enforcement, particularly for youth.
After connecting with distraught students who expressed confusion and fear at several organized protests in the summer of 2020, then Fremont Police Captain Sean Washington recognized that the youths’ voices needed to be heard. 
When he later became police chief in Fall 2021, he made it one of his priorities to listen – resulting in the establishment of the Chief’s Youth Advisory Board, enabling a direct line of transparent communication between Fremont youth and the Fremont Police Department (FPD).  
In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with Chief Sean Washington about the work of the youth advisory board. 
ABOUT OUR SPONSOR
This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Police Chief Sean Washington joined the Fremont (California) Police Department in 1997 and worked several assignments gaining experience as a detective, field training officer, SWAT team member, arrest control instructor, driving instructor, and member of the School Resource Officer unit. Chief Washington was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2007, lieutenant in 2011, and captain in 2015 as commander of the Special Operations Division. He was appointed police chief on October 1, 2021.
As police chief, he is responsible for all aspects of the Fremont Police Department, including emergency services provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Fremont Police Department has 319.5 full-time employees of which 199 are sworn positions. The Department is a full-service law enforcement agency and also provides some services by contract to other agencies.
Chief Washington remains actively involved in Special Olympics Northern California and other community-based events, such as hosting Shop With a Cop and mentoring local children. Previously, he also led one of the nation’s first Electric Patrol Vehicle Pilot Programs in 2019 when the Fremont Police Department deployed its first fully electric-powered vehicle, a Tesla Model S 85, as part of its patrol fleet.
Chief Washington earned a Bachelor's degree (Criminal Justice) from California State University, Hayward in 1997 and a Master's degree (Administration of Justice) from San Jose State University in 2007. In 2015, Chief Washington graduated from the Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Command College, Class #57.
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The Leadership Beat: Fremont Police Chief Sean Washington details how his agency seeks to serve by hearing the perspectives of both their personnel and their community