Improving Police Effectiveness through Good Will and Integrity (Stopping the Exodus and Improving Recruitment)

Policing is a big issue in our nation and people are concerned about it from multiple perspectives. Because it is a national development issue I think its important to bring that up here for discussion. Society needs police and we want some of our best getting into policing. There are changes needed in the system to ensure its functioning at its maximum abilities to serve the public. Starting with the basics of Good Will and Integrity can go along way throughout the rest of the system's chains. 

Consider on a human-to-human level we all want what is best for our society and best for our communities. Systems such as policing create a level playing field that improve safety and security (Maslow Needs of Safety Economy) as basic assumptions of communal life. That is the basis of any societal development and without that we have other issues pop up. So we want to ensure that we start with those good will and integrity assumptions as a basis of all human interaction.

Read Integrity: What it is and Why it is Important

Policing can have a huge impact on the success of an economy. When policing is community based and focuses on building positive relationships it can lead to a great many things (Including lower crime and illicit drug use). People engage more, they trust officers are doing the right thing, and they know that they have the best interest of society in mind. The goal is to develop one's community through thoughtful behaviors that lead to more pubic support.

There are times when a few bad apples spread rumors and misinformation about minorities in their communities and then encourage others to act on those rumors as true. That can create an intimidating situation but it also can create a snowball effect of civil rights violation throughout the entire system. So if we know this, then it is important for our judges to act on it. 

People sometimes ask what are my leanings on police? Mine are fairly neutral and as I am for police but am not unaware of its challenges and some of the legitimate arguments for change. In other words, I'm 100% for police and 110% for civil rights. I'm looking at it from a systems side primarily (as well as some other sides). 

Here are a few ideas on how to improve Good Will and Integrity

1. When we recruit we must do so with personality in mind. Remember that police have authority and that help people and/or ruin people's lives and create all types of difficulties (Including the trust in policing). Police can also be a positive influence on people and the world around them. Which tool they use is often based in their personality and department culture.

2. Intentionally seek to diversify recruitment because it will open up the thought processes to other possibilities and new lines of filling depleting ranks. For example, hiring people from different backgrounds pushes officers to recognize difference as ok (Its not actually different if 60% of society now is diverse.). Diversity shows that policing is universal (Which it needs still needs some work to get there. Its lagging behind and part of that is culture but the other part is because the system is weak on feedback loops and self-correcting mechanisms.)

3. Judicial checks and balances. Sometimes those with nefarious intent and misunderstand of others go down a rabbit hole and can't get out of it. Its a clear sign of bias. It impacts all of their decision making. The carrot and stick approach is helpful. Training on how to handle bias is important but so is discipline and/or removal if an officer continues to misuse authority. 

4. Ensure police are not spreading rumors on things they can't cash at the end of the day. For example, if someone along the line makes up a story based in their bigotry and then spread that as true because it gets "hype" is itself defamation of character and could lead to serious injury of families in the community (Simply based on that bias and immaturity of the officer(s)). 

How do we solve that? Its not easy because it requires greater awareness by our court systems and officials to ensure that they are not damaging their communities with their own bias. There must be a way to change that root assumption of "outsider" when it is not reflective of the realities we live in during the modern era. Developing human capital requires us to think broadly about engaging the full spectrum of our populace's talents and abilities. Creating the basics of that environment are what police can do.

My advice to the youth is get involved in policing and help make the system better and more reflective of our universal values. There is a lot of good in policing, and a lot of good things that come from it, but it needs more diversity from people who have good ideas on how to better connect communities and policing to the same positive end. New type of recruits from different backgrounds makes a lot of sense. Let us turn animosity into something positive with the recognition that change is necessary and can happen through more engagement and appropriate/accurate reflective feedback.

*This blog is designed to improve our systems and encourage thoughtful engagement across wide sectors of society. It is meant for mental consumption and solution finding. If you don't like it please click off. We have a greater responsibility to be truthful then to encamp to one or the other side (We should all be on the same side). I love solutions, I do not like useless rhetoric. Our youth could like policing if we make some common sense and well thought out changes that align these institutions to principles of a universal democracy. There is much to be learned if different perspectives share those thoughts and find meaningful and heartfelt solutions to put everyone on the same page.