As you can tell from the video the Rapid Response Team resigned in protest of a conviction. I'm not going to discuss the merits of the specific case as its not central to the issue I'm discussing here. It should be noted that this is just more of an opinion and not necessarily an attempt to convince others of what to believe. When you watch what is going on in the news you will find that this is a societal discussion on how much authority and how much accountability there should between policing and the public.
People seem to jump to quick conclusions and believe that police are either all bad or police are all good (This is a direct result of Right and Left radicalism and not a reflection of what is actually occurring). As with most things in life its not that simple; its a mixed bag.
Policing is difficult business with lots of danger and not always the best working conditions. The vast majority of officers are honest, selfless, and want to help their communities. From time to time there are officers that need to be disciplined/removed (like any HR function) because they are not acting in ways that are helpful to their community stakeholders (Their primary mission of "protect and serve".)
Police are people, with families, who have time honored traditions (most of these codes are by necessity but a few norms need to be adjusted because they lead to group silence), who deal with difficult populations, and feel a little victimized (At least seems that way. 🤷).
Yes...policing is under the spotlight right now and the message they hear might be a very negative one (We might want to give police a more positive message of "We honor you and your sacrifices and we would like to reorient your focus as a profession to some of the challenges we face as a nation. We want to shore up trust issues") There can be positive things that come out of greater awareness.
Why is it all this or that? We should be able to agree that good officers should be promoted, officers that make mistakes should be trained, and those who do bad things should be disciplined and/or removed. Officers may sometimes need protection from frivolous lawsuits but at the same time should not be given immunity when criminal conduct occurs (Think about it...there is a need for some shielding from false accusations but not from legitimate ones. That balance is in the process of being defined. Just watch and pay attention.).
It will be interesting to see what the end result will be and where the definition will likely lay in a few years (I really hope we can resolve this because its an important one to deal with). We can support our officers while supporting those common sense changes that help improve the profession of policing and further build trust with minorities (and society in general).
I think Deputy Chief Chris Davis did a great job creating a sense of calm, knowledge, and reasonableness in his communication. Unique situations are difficult to deal with so sticking to what he believes is the truth is important. We can see this an opportunity to listen to the different stakeholders of society and find that balance that makes the sense for everyone (effective policing with respect for human rights).I understand how people feel and how polarized angry people are (The problem with our politics is that everyone is shouting and no one is listening so problems go unresolved along pure party line votes. Maybe we should spend some time questioning our lack of ability to see outside of our political ideologies. 😬). I've witnessed police misconduct and it can be frustrating for minorities when you know what you saw but your not sure if that information will act as important feedback for improvement.
Most of the officers I have met are awesome people with the right personality for the job. Thank God for them! I would trust them to do the right thing because they are critical thinkers with the best interest of their societal stakeholders in mind (but that is not everyone).
A few ideas that don't even begin to discuss the complexity of the situation (i.e. its important for you to think for yourself and determine what you believe based upon everything you have read and your own personal experiences)...
1.) Listen to the officers and listen to the societal stakeholders (emphasizing those who feel mistreated) to get a grasp of where the major "rub" points are (Those will be central focal points). One could probably put together a meta analysis of all the police research and commission a study specifically focused on finding the right policy approach that leads to the best outcomes.
2.) Look at the policing system and see what might help improve officer retention and develop the kind of culture that can give opportunities to those that show leadership while creating a stronger mechanism for removal (investigation and removal) of those who do not reflect "good moral conscious".
3.Stop allowing fringe groups and more radical political voices (Right and Left) to define what is best for our police, the public or our nation. We need policies that make sense and solve problems....not ones that create more problems and more divisions at a time we need people focused on a bigger picture.
P.S. I still like the idea of developing a whole line of non-lethal weapons for use as an option in domestic policing and international peace keeping activities.
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