Police Reform

I like police most of the time. I support their mission, to maintain safety, peace and order among a large and complex society. I get it that the work is hard. Often police see only the seamy side of life. That has to have an effect on them over time.


The police I have known are good and decent people. Frustrated in their jobs at times to be certain. Aren’t we all? But their jobs are in full view of all of us. When they make an error, it is very visible and has consequences for many.


Watching TV cop shows has sensitized me to the difficulties of modern day policing. And yes, politics runs rampant. It is one of the frustrations felt by police. Yet, the police are not an army of a gun toting private militia. They are a public militia and serve the purposes of society. They protect all of our freedoms – to assemble, to speak, to marry, to smile and pursue happiness, to be safe, to deter crime, and a host of other freedoms. Their job is huge.


But control and standards are necessary to protect the public from their militia. A few rotten applies within a police department can destroy public trust in a flash.


And it has. Trust is a valuable commodity that threatens the very existence of every police department. Trust must be at hand 24/7/365. It must.


To get it requires discipline and lines of authority in order to maintain accountability. This is the spinal column of the American justice system. Without it, courts, judges, jail and prison regimes and countless criminal justice professionals are without purpose. Their jobs are dead on arrival.


So, civilian control of police is a must. The city councils and mayors must have the authority and knowledge in maintaining professional policing in their communities. Police supervision and management levels must be dedicated to implementing the standards and accountability set forth by civilian authority.


Police unions play another role. They look out for fairness in employment practices related to their members. However, at no time does the power of a union trump civilian authority over the police function. Never. Political statements and lobbying in public by police union leaders must stop. They have become part of the problem in policing.


Standards, professionalism, and accountability create and maintain public trust in police departments. Everyone involved in accomplishing this is on the same team. It requires collaboration and dedication to the mission of policing.


‘Defunding Police’ is a misnomer. ‘Re-envisioning Policing’ is a better label.


We need the police. But we need to trust them, and they need to trust the public. Without that mutuality we are all lost in a militia-driven state.


Now, who will help this process along? If we are not part of the team going forward, we are forming sides that will spell disaster for us all. Politics is not a welcome component here. We all have a stake in the outcome.

Best we handle this very carefully.


July 2, 2020