by improvingpolice
I follow police and the present
crisis and this is what I hear from the community: "Stop the
killing!" That cry is resounding across our great nation. It is a strong,
agonizing cry from those who feel oppressed and dominated by an economic and
justice system that they believe does not work for them.
I surely am not the only one
who has heard this cry. Countless journalists and community activists from
Ferguson to Baltimore over the last year have reported it. Anyone who follows
the daily news knows the troubling situation in which we find ourselves.
But what I don't hear is a
response -- an answer from those who can immediately answer the question -- the
police. Police leaders are in a position to do so and few, if any, are doing
it.
Their professional
organizations -- the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the
Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the Major Cities Police Chiefs, or
police unions like the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) essentially say nothing.
Why is this? Why in the midst of this crisis in our nation do both police
leaders and their professional groups remain silent?
Do they not know what to do?
Are they frightened of those whom they serve? Do they fear backlash from their
unions? Do city lawyers tell them not to speak because of future liability
claims? It puzzles me because speaking out seems to be the right thing to do --
a right response to a legitimate inquiry. Policing in a democracy cannot just
work for the majority of us, it must work for everyone. And that's not
happening today.
I was a police leader for 25
years. This is what should happen: After an officer involved shooting, the
city's police chief holds a meeting in the community. The chief reports that
the current system, policy, training, tactics, and leadership is being reviewed
along with the department's attitudes about the use of deadly force. The chief
shares deep feelings about the importance of preserving life and what has
happened is a tragedy -- not what police want to have happen . The chief
pledges to the community and reassures them that everything will be done to
stop the killing.
The absence of this
conversation with impacted communities and a pledge from police to improve the
status quo is causing undo tension, grief, and anger in our nation's cities.
Let's start talking and fix this failed system before it's too late.
improvingpolice | May 11, 2015
at 6:31 am
No comments:
Post a Comment