Seven: State of the World

An incredibly high number of lives have been lost this year due to violence: unprecedented crime rates and gun violence in Chicago, IL, combined with ISIS-inspired terrorist attacks here in the US and abroad and the disturbing number of Black American citizens who have been slain by police.

We can all agree that ISIS is a problem and a common enemy to all free countries that do not adhere to Sharia law. However, the more complex problem here in the US is the relationship between law enforcement and minority communities, the Black community in particular. We believe that there are two major problems facing our country and two major steps we must take to rectify them:

The first obstacle is corruption. Unfortunately, police in America are hired under some degree of influence just like any corporation. Many states and counties do not have a civil service merit system and simply hire whoever they like. This results, too often, in a “senator’s, daughter’s brother” or someone else being hired as a police officer without appropriate qualifications. Also, psychological exams for police entry are relatively basic, i.e., extremely hard to fail. Couple that with the very few qualified officers who simply have bad judgment or biased views and you have the catastrophic ingredients to create an environment of apathy or even fear of minorities. Fear-based decision making too often results in the premature use of force and unnecessary loss of life.

In a traditional sense, law enforcement, generally, is extremely caring and community-oriented. Helping people is the reason why most people do the job. This quality is a double-edged sword. It has skewed much of the public view for years into believing that police officers were not capable of conducting some of the horrific acts that have been perpetrated against citizens of this country. And for a very long time it was simply the word of a law enforcement officer against the word of a Black or brown person, who was sometimes a criminal. And to the public, brown plus criminal generally equals liar. Fabricator. Conspirator. However, the advent of mobile video is now providing a third party and eye witness account of what happens. While some of it is contextually limited, we have, in many cases, been highly disturbed at what we’ve seen.

The second issue is people. We live in a demand-based society where we have become accustomed to controlling our lives with a high degree of certainty, having multiple options regarding even relatively insignificant decisions. We get everything how and when we want it. Enter the police. When law enforcement officers arrive on a scene or conduct a traffic stop, they become the authority. Many people don’t like this. It creates a sense of loss of power and people resist it in ways that often are not lawful at all. If you’ve watched youtube or the news, you’ve likely heard phrases uttered by camera-ready citizens such as “why did you stop me I didn’t do anything”, “other people were speeding why did you stop me” to “no you are not arresting me today” and “I don’t like you please leave and have another police officer come and deal with me”. The end result of this desire to take control of situations has led citizens to do things from refusing to follow basic, lawful commands all the way to engaging in full, physical combat with officers. People don’t like surrendering control and they generally do not know the law. This too creates scenarios where force ends up being used but could have been avoided. Some people have literally come to believe that they can do or say anything they please in the presence of law enforcement and act completely contrary to law enforcements’ requests. Not so.

So what do we do?

First, we must fight corruption by ending nepotism and bias in our officers as much as possible. This may mean raising the education standards and pay for police. This may mean raising the bar on psychological, fitness, close quarters combat and crisis negotiation skills in the CANDIDATE pool to obtain a better quality of new hire. It should be noted here that most police officers come onto the job with zero qualifications in these areas (some military candidates excluded) and learn all of it in the police academy. Point blank: police officers aren’t afforded enough budget or time for training. If they want proficiency in handling subjects or handling crises, they very often must do it at their own time and expense.

We must be honest in seeing that corruption does exist and we must not tolerate it. This goes for the public and law enforcement. There can be no more acceptance of “that guy” or “that girl” who regularly abuses his/her authority but is protected because he/she resides on the preferred side of the blue line. Being a member of service affords our officers a measure of security and dignity, but it does not denote a special place from which personal punishment or judgment can be dispensed. We must go to great lengths to weed out those officers who betray the public trust by performing misdeeds or ignoring the misdeeds of their peers, thereby dishonoring not only themselves but ALL of law enforcement.

Likewise, we must make a better effort to recognize and reward valor. Acts of kindness and service are performed by law enforcement every day, but go largely unnoticed by the media and the public. We make a big deal when one of our officers gives his/her life in the service of duty, but did we truly appreciate them while they were with us? Generally, no.

Second, the general public must learn that the arrival of a law enforcement officer does not mean that a debate on the larger issues of American criminal and/or civil law has suddenly begun. Citizens must learn the type of patience and cooperation that is the diametric opposite of our “what we want when we want it” culture. Cooperating with police is sometimes inconvenient and can cause the loss of time and activity that wasn’t scheduled. But the end mission is everyone’s safety and so everyone needs to participate. Clearly, everyone doesn’t participate equally since law enforcement handles the lion’s share. But everyone can do his/her part.

We must also realize that law enforcement is a difficult job. It does not pay what it should for the frustration, danger and exposure to trauma that it inflicts. Law enforcement officers will never be made rich or famous by position and they will certainly not be safe. If we continue to demonize law enforcement as a profession, why would anyone with competitive education and skills in future generations want the job? If we take away the dignity associated with serving the public and only disparage our own protectors, who will be the next generation of law enforcement officers? Unfortunately, the answer will be people with less qualifications and fewer employment options. Good officers need our unwavering support. They are performing a job that most people can’t or won’t do.

The NFL fears concussions as heralding the extinction of elite athletes in football. Likewise, the public should fear the widespread persecution of law enforcement as heralding the extinction of men and women of elite integrity and service mindset in policing. We must fix the problem right in front of us to avoid a bleak future and steer ourselves towards a brighter one.

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