Welcome to The New England Gang School, presented by Inspire Solutions, LLC.
Our philosophy is founded upon a simple belief: professional policing begins with professional people. Every investigation, every report, every courtroom testimony, every citizen encounter, and every decision made throughout an officer’s career reflects not only upon the individual officer, but upon the law enforcement profession as a whole.
The New England Gang School exists to encourage professionalism through thoughtful discussion, practical perspective, and meaningful conversation. While our lectures often focus on gangs, report writing, and officer wellness, those subjects simply provide the platform for a much broader purpose—to inspire officers to think critically, communicate effectively, investigate fairly, care for themselves and one another, and continually strive toward professional excellence throughout their careers.
Beyond Gangs
Although gangs are often the focus of our discussions, our philosophy reaches much further.
Recognizing and documenting deception and evidence is a skill that applies throughout law enforcement.
The same observations that indicate a concealed firearm may, in another situation, indicate a hidden graffiti can.
The same behaviors that suggest someone is being dishonest about an outstanding warrant may also help identify an underage drinker or someone providing a false identity.
The same social media platforms used by gangs are also used by petty thieves, juveniles, and college students.
Likewise, the methods used to identify violent offenders often assist officers investigating much smaller offenses.
“Professional observation and thoughtful articulation have universal value.“
– Inspire Solutions, LLC
What We Believe
We present every lecture with a focus on professionalism, honor, fairness, preparation for court, and thoughtful communication.
Successful policing is not measured solely by arrests.
It is also measured by professionalism, fairness, integrity, and the confidence officers inspire within the communities they serve.
It also requires rapport, diversion when appropriate, de-escalation, collaboration, and meaningful partnerships with the communities we serve.
Our aim is to inspire solutions.
Because safer communities are built through professionalism as much as enforcement.
Understanding Gang Culture
Gang violence is often described as “senseless violence.”
We respectfully disagree.
“The gang culture is becoming increasingly complex, and the so-called “senseless violence” that it yields is anything but senseless. In fact, it makes perfect sense to those who are affected by it. And if law enforcement is ever to be successful in combatting it, then we believe it needs to make sense to them as well.”
– Inspire Solutions, LLC
It is important for law enforcement to understand gang mentality in order to successfully document the many nuances in gang-related behavior. It is equally important for law enforcement to recognize the factors that draw young people into that world, in order to have better interactions with them, avoid unnecessary citizen complaints, and ultimately achieve the shared goal of safety for officers, youth, citizens, and the community. This understanding through empathy further helps identify opportunities for diversion and restorative justice.
Similar to the heroin epidemic that has affected communities throughout New England, the gang life represents a systematic recruitment of young people and can, in many cases, become far more physically and mentally appealing—or incarcerating—for them than any fear of jail.
What Our Lectures Are
The New England Gang School is intentionally presented as a lecture-style environment.
Our presentations encourage discussion surrounding the observations, ideas, investigative thinking, and professional practices that have assisted successful officers in addressing firearms, shootings, homicides, gang violence, and systematic criminal behavior.
Our presentations also offer perspective on actual gang culture to help officers understand the “why” behind the actions of gang culture.
A greater understanding of the subjects of your investigations yields greater opportunities for better cases, recognizing opportunities for diversion or second chances, and developing empathy for your investigative targets.
Lastly, we offer understanding and support for police officers as they navigate the mental stress and demands of a difficult profession while encouraging healthy professional longevity.
Our lectures are meant to provide insight into the kinds of cases officers regularly encounter in order to help them better document and investigate those cases through understanding, while also offering perspective on healthy professional longevity.
Our lectures change from one to the next, and we are proud to continually evolve beyond any static version of our presentations from a particular day.
What Our Lectures Are Not
Our presentations are not tactics or training courses.
We do not teach “search or don’t search.”
We do not teach “stop or don’t stop.”
We cannot predict the dangerous situations officers will encounter during the performance of their duties.
Nor do our lectures increase or replace an officer’s legal justification for any future encounter.
Every stop, search, arrest, investigation, and report must be based upon the officer’s own observations, lawful authority, professional judgment, and ability to articulate the facts that made sense to them.
Attendance at one of our lectures does not elevate or replace your probable cause or reasonable suspicion. In fact, quoting attendance at one of our lectures in a police report to bolster the reasoning for initiating an encounter is tantamount to quoting a story heard at your dinner table that was told by a well-informed aunt or uncle.
Our role is simply to encourage thoughtful discussion, share past alternative options, and give priority to the documentation surrounding the observations and investigative ideas that may assist officers in professionalizing the cases they have already initiated.
Our lectures change from one to the next, and we do not save audio recordings or static “versions” of lectures from a particular day.
Why “New England” Gang School?
As every law enforcement officer knows, the makeup of your gangs and your gang violence issues are often very different from those found throughout the rest of the country.
For that reason, our presentations in New England… focus on New England.
When we present outside of New England, we adapt our discussions to reflect the realities of the communities we are serving, while maintaining the same philosophy of professionalism, thoughtful observation, and practical perspective.
Rather than relying upon generalized national trends or examples from across the country, we examine the realities that exist here—our communities, our investigations, our street groups, and our courts. Our discussions are built through professional experience, collaboration, observation, and continual research—not franchised material or presentations assembled from the internet.
Our Commitment
Our commitment is to present lectures that remain current, local (when applicable), practical, and professionally prepared.
We will not spend valuable time reviewing sensational videos or incidents from across the country that bear little resemblance to policing in New England.
Instead, we focus on the documentation of current trends, meaningful discussions, and practical observations that officers can recognize within their own jurisdictions.
We believe those discussions provide greater value than generic presentations built upon outdated examples or unnecessary shock.
Our Invitation
Fair treatment.
Good practices.
Honest testimony.
Patience.
Hard work.
Good ideas.
A keen eye.
If these qualities describe the kind of law enforcement officer you are—or aspire to become—we welcome you to The New England Gang School. And we invite you to join us in discussing practical ideas, professional perspectives, and thoughtful conversations about hard work, mental wellness, and progressive diversion opportunities that Inspire Solutions.
Thank you,
Inspiring Solutions for the Future, Today.