In a recent announcement from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), Sandy Vastola, the department's director of public affairs, has been honored with the 2025 PRNEWS Top Woman in the Changemakers category. The award is designed to highlight women who have made substantial contributions to the fields of communications and public relations through innovation, leadership, and fostering positive change. "Sandy’s exceptional leadership has not only improved community relations and fostered greater support for CMPD officers but has also set a new benchmark for law enforcement agencies across the nation,” CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said.
With an ever-expanding need for meaningful dialogue between law enforcement and the public, CMPD has launched a customer service training program under Sandy Vastola’s direction, dubbed CMPD Serves. This initiative has meant to revolutionize the way law enforcement interacts with the community, placing a high emphasis on empathy, active listening, and de-escalation techniques. Chief Jennings told the publication that after recognizing a critical need for enhanced interactions in 2020, he tasked Sandy to spearhead the departmental transformation. "Sandy has been instrumental in transforming CMPD’s approach to community engagement and trust," he elaborated in the declaration.
In terms of tangible achievements, the CMPD Serves program has been a force of innovation in training development, securing widespread adoption among all CMPD employees, and introducing key metrics that demonstrate significant impact on customer satisfaction. Sandy Vastola's efforts have further extended into innovative recruitment strategies leading to a surge in applications and new hires, alongside initiatives aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability. Her strategies have produced a notable uptick in the proactive dissemination of public records and enhanced social media engagement.
Apart from the internal improvements, the nationally-acclaimed CMPD Serves program has received significant media attention, even spurring interest in a documentary titled “To Protect and Service.” The film, produced with ambition aiming to inspire viewers, features the journey of the CMPD Serves program. Further, as part of its drive for continuous improvement, CMPD has instilled a culture emphasizing growth mindset and employee wellness, according to an official release from the department. Vastola's contributions have certainly echoed across the landscape of law enforcement, setting a tone for how agencies may approach their interaction with the public moving forward.
